The new me and you

Three ‘Pick n Mix’ sessions for use on group Zoom calls orin socially distanced group meetings

a) Knowing who you areb) How have you been reshaped?

c) Who does God say you are?

Includes a section of help for leaders

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IntroductionThis is a set of three Pick n Mix sessions for your group. We have included materials which canbe used either on Zoom calls or where groups are beginning to meet (in a socially distancedway as the easing of lockdown regulations in different nations of the UK allows). Please notethere is absolutely no compulsion to rush back to face-to-face meetings. You will best knowwhat is most appropriate for your group.NB. Please see https://www.urbansaints.org/leaders-area for nation-specific guidelines as theyapply to Urban Saints’ Groups.

We have also included material suitable for different age groups. Some of the activities can beeasily adapted while others are marked specifically for a specific age group. You don’t have todo all the elements suggested, these are simply ideas to pick from. Activities tend to last a littlebit longer on Zoom than in real time, so we think it would be hard to get through all of these.Let us know what has worked well and what didn’t - we’d really find your feedback helpful.

There is a section at the end with more information and help for leaders around these topics.

Contents:Page 3 a) Knowing who you arePage 9 b) How have you been reshaped?Page 12 c) Who does God say you are?Page 20 Help for leaders

This mini series of three sessions is the first of a longer series of 5 units each with three sessions.These are designed to equip you as leaders to help your young people as they make sense of, andemerge from, the effects of this COVID period. Session themes will be as follows:

2. Everything changes (25/09/20)a)Has everything changed?b)Discovering your passions and how to walk into them.c)Looking after yourself.

3. Voice (16/10/20)a)Finding your voice - how do I express myself?b)How do I deal with setbacks?c)How and where can you use your voice?

4. Action (06/11/20)a)How do I use my time and why is that important?b)Planning to make a difference.c) Working together.

5. Heart (27/11/20)a) Attitude of heart - the how, not just the what and when.b) Intentions of the heart - why we want to be known and seen.c) Movement of the heart - responding to what moves you.

Session a) Knowing who you are

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Key to suggested suitability markers:11+ This material is generally suited to secondary age groupsO This material is designed/suitable for older/more mature young peopleU11 This material is particularly suitable for use with under 11’sZ Can be used on ZoomSD Can be used in a socially distanced group meeting

Famous name game (11+, U11, Z, SD)

Take it in turns for one person to be a mystery famous person. Have the person look away asyou write down the famous name and show the rest of the group. Then the person has twominutes to ask yes/no questions about who they are as they try to work it out. This is anintroduction about who we are, and you can point out we are more than a name or label givento us.

Activity: Body Sketch (11+, U11, Z, SD)

There are two ways to do this:1. Ask two people from the same household to participate, one lies down on a large piece ofpaper (wallpaper roll/ multiple flipchat pages) and the other draws around them. This can bedone with paper pinned to the wall. The outside represents the person. Ask the group, “if wehave drawn around ‘name’ surely that is ‘name’? Discuss why the outline doesn’t show thewhole person. (SD)

2. If this isn’t possible with social distancing or you are on Zoom, display the outline of a personon page 6. Tell the group that this is your friend Bob. Ask them to tell you about Bob. Whenthey realise they don’t have any information about him other than his name, start the discussionabout why just a name and the outline of a person doesn’t tell you much about the wholeperson. (Z)

Explain to the group that we are more than what people see:■ Body (the physical - face, height, clothes, scars, hairstyle etc)■ Soul (our mind, will & emotions - personality)■ Spirit (that which is designed to connect to something more - God)

NB. Please see ‘help for leaders’ section for more about body, soul and spirit care.

Reflect on 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 (The Message):“May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole,put you together—spirit, soul, and body—and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, JesusChrist. The One who called you is completely dependable. If he said it, he’ll do it!”

Activity: What’s the best thing about… (11+, U11, Z, SD)

Invite the group to draw an outline of themselves. This can be just a simple A4 size drawing.Now ask them to think about the question, ‘what’s the best thing about me?’ Maybe put somemusic on and give them a couple of minutes to think. They can write or draw it on their outline.Now, pick a member of the group and ask the rest of the group to answer the question, ‘what’sthe best thing about (name)?’ Please stress that they are only allowed to say positive/kindthings. Invite the person they are speaking about to write these on their outline.

Masked Celebrities (11+, Z, SD)

Display the pictures of famous faces who have been covered up with face masks (see page 8).Have the group try to work out who is behind the mask. Use this as a conversation starter withthe following questions:■ Are there ‘masks’ we hide behind?■ What are they? (trying to look like we have it all together, trying to appear strong, acting

like we don’t care when we really do etc.)■ Do you think we were created to cover up our feelings and who we are?

Answers: 1. Ariana Grande, 2. Taylor Swift, 3. Lewis Capaldi, 4. Billie Eilish, 5. Ed Sheeran, 6. Stormzy, 7. Chris Pratt, 8. Rihanna, 9. Himesh Patel, 10. Dwayne Johnson

Pre-Bible Study: (11+, U11, Z, SD)

Before going into the Bible study you might want to ask the young people some of thesequestions:■ What does God think about you? - and where can you find out?■ How does he feel about you?■ Do you think there are things you can do that make him feel differently about you?■ When it’s said that “we are made in God’s image” what does that mean to you?

You could follow this by looking at some of these verses together:1 John 3:1, Romans 8:15, Psalm 139:15 or look at:https://i.pinimg.com/originals/48/73/bc/4873bc95c067cb7109443a05577c60b2.jpg (11+)

Genesis 1:27, 1Thes 5:23 and more exploration can be found at:https://www.faithandhealthconnection.org/the_connection/spirit-soul-and-body/ (O)

Song: See how very much (U11, Z, SD)With younger groups, why not watch the video of this memory verse song together basedon 1 John 1:3: https://youtu.be/Sj6-agXgIJg

Bible Study: (Z, SD)

There are 3 options here:■ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teu7BCZTgDs (U11)

■ Invite different group members to read Genesis 1:1-31 (11+)

■ Older youth https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1vXQDp_CZw (O)

“In the beginning, God…” is the start of the Bible, and the story of God and us. God was at thebeginning, and was the beginning, and has continued to be with us.God created all the aspects of the world and said they were “good”, but when he created us,he said we were “very good”.When we were created, God chose to make us “in his image”. This doesn’t just mean we looklike him, it means inside and out, we were made to reflect who he is.

God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. You could think of these three people of God like this:■ God the Son - Jesus, the physical body■ God the Father - Creator, the soul■ God the Holy Spirit - the one who lives in Christians, the spirit of who God is

Continued overleaf….Page 4 of 23

Continued…The three people of God are of equal value, and are separate but make up one whole. In thesame way, we are made with a physical body, but we have a soul and spirit which also saysso much about who we are.It’s a difficult thing to explain who we are, but when we think about all the things that makeus, us, we start to get an idea. What are our likes and dislikes? What gets us excited? Whatupsets us? What impact do we want to have on the world?

Questions to discuss:1. How does it feel to think God created you to be you? And that at creation it was

announced we were “very good”?2. We know it’s important to keep our bodies healthy, but have you ever thought about keeping our souls and spirits healthy?3. How can we do this?

Wordle (11+, Z, SD)

Have the group call out, and on the whiteboard of Zoom or a flipchart, write all the words thegroup can think of that God says about us. Now put these into a word cloud creator (you coulddisplay your screen, a photo of the screen taken or print for the following week) and make yourown wordle together (https://www.wordclouds.com/). Print them for the leaders and youngpeople or send as images to remind each other who you are in Christ.

Colouring sheet: In the beginning (U11, Z, SD)

Copy the colouring story sheet from page 6 and give/send it to your group. Encourage themto colour it in at home and, while they do so, to think again about how God made them to belike Him.

High/low/awkward/prayer (11+, U11, Z, SD)

Ask everyone to be quiet (mute all if you’re on Zoom) and give each person 2 mins to sharetheir High, Low, Awkward Moment & Prayer request for the week. This gives the young people‘permission’ to share celebrations and concerns with the group. You may then want to takesome time to pray for the things that have been mentioned. You could try inviting every groupmember to pray for what they mentioned.

Challenge of the week: (11+, Z, SD)

Memorise as many of the words and phrases that come out in the wordle and give some prizesout to those who participate the following week. Encourage the team and young people tospeak out (loud) the phrases and words during the following week to help them rememberand build their faith. Read together Romans 10: 17

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God said, “Let there be light,” and lightshone through the darkness over the earth.God called the light “Day” and the darkness

he called “Night.” This was the first day.

God made a space betweenthe water that was above the earth

and the water below. God calledthe space sky. This was the second day.

God said, “Let the water under the sky bein one place and let the dry ground appear,”

and it did. He called the dry ground “land”and the water “sea”. God saw it was good.

And God said “Let the land produce manykinds of trees and plants which have

fruit and seeds, so they can reproduce.This was the third day.

On the fourth day God made the sunto warm the earth and at night

the moon and stars showed thetime, seasons and years.

Then God made the fish and the birds.“Let the sea be full of sea creatures

and the forest and sky be filled with manydifferent kinds of birds,” God said on day five.

On day six God filled the earth with animals.Each species had babies like themselves. God

made male and female humans to reflect himself.And on the seventh day God rested

Genesis 1. The first words in the Bible tell us thatGod made the heaven and the earth.

The earth was covered with deep water.Nothing lived there at all and it was totally dark.

In The BeginningPrint Free:www.lambsongs.co.nz By Jill Kemp Illustrated by Richard Gunther

Session b) How have you been reshaped?

Key to suggested suitability markers:11+ This material is generally suited to secondary age groupsO This material is designed/suitable for older/more mature young peopleU11 This material is particularly suitable for use with under 11’sZ Can be used on ZoomSD Can be used in a socially distanced group meeting

Game: Play-Doh animals (11+, U11, Z, SD)

Using Play-Doh (or salt dough - https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/how-make-salt-dough-recipe) one person makes different animal shapes and the group guesses what theyare.Comment that essentially the Play-Doh remains the same stuff but it has been re-formed asthey change the shape. Ask the group if they think all change is good or all change is bad.Explain how we can be changed, reshaped and moulded by God. You might want to directlyfollow this with the Bible Study.

Rock Paper Shape (11+, U11, Z, SD)

Similarly to Rock, Paper, Scissors, in this game you each make a shape with your hands. Leteach person name their shape and then give them 30 seconds to explain why their shape beatsthe other one. Get everyone to vote which shape they think has won!Groups meeting face to face could then pick 3 shapes and play this against each other. (SD)

Activity: Changes (11+, Z, SD)

Start a conversation about change. Ask the group to grab a pen and paper and write answersto the following questions:■ What have you learned in the last six months? How has interaction with people been

affected and has that mattered?■ How have you changed? - music taste, hobby/interest, go-to snack, Netflix finds.■ What about your everyday life? Has it overall been for good or a real struggle?

Give the young people time to reflect and write their answers. Have an opportunity for thegroup to share, not forgetting those who are more quiet. Some may not want to discuss thisopenly with the group, but hopefully committing their feelings to paper may help them processsome of the changes they have faced.

Discussion starter: Changes (U11, Z, SD)

Start a discussion about what has been different since March 2020. Suggest a couple of obviousanswers like ‘not always being in school’ or ‘not being able to play sports’ then invite the groupto come up with more. The whole group could respond with thumbs up/down to representwhether they think this is a positive or negative change.

Now invite them to think about and answer the following questions.■ Which changes have been good and which have been difficult and why?■ Have you changed at all? Are you happier, sadder, more worried, have new hobbies etc?■ How does this make you feel?

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Bible Study (11+, U11, Z, SD)

Read together Isaiah 64:8.This gives us a picture (metaphor) of God the Creator carefully moulding us.A good potter doesn’t simply throw some clay on a wheel and quickly make a shape out of it- the potter carefully and patiently waits for the clay to get to the right temperature, adds justthe right amount of water, and gets his hands dirty to create the vision he has in mind for theclay. Now look up Ephesians 2:10 and 2 Corinthians 5:17; when we choose to follow God, hemakes us new - we are allowing him to shape who we are and what our purpose will be.

Watch this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eb3bndQaaUY about how a potterapproaches his handiwork. (11+, O)

Questions to discuss:1. What does the picture of us being clay and God being like the potter mean?2. Does God have a right to mould us?3. Do you think anyone can be too far gone (bad) to be remoulded by God for a new purpose?

For younger ones, why not read the Bible verse and use salt dough to demonstrate how wecan allow God to shape us? Ask the group the question, ‘what might God want to change inus to make us more like him?’ (U11)

Song: O Father God (U11, Z, SD)

You could use this song as a response: https://youtu.be/46cqerT8_wwInvite the group to be quiet and listen to the words. Point out that the song is also a prayerand invite them to pray the words as they are being sung.

Going Deeper (O, Z, SD)

The language that is said by Christians at times is not always helpful when it isn’t explained.‘God is in control’. When we have been a pandemic, time of loss and restricted time as we have,there have been many voices that may have brought confusion.

Check out this great blog by Daniel Mosby:https://www.myallnations.co.uk/read-1/2020/6/29/god-is-not-in-control-daniel-mosby?fbclid=IwAR2KjbTsTyVUyvtX_8dknilGoyI8h-TqQ4XpBY45ZwE3-F20TguoYbOWm1o● What are your thoughts on this? Do you agree/disagree?

Wordsearch: Isaiah 64:8 (11+, U11, Z, SD)

Give out or send the wordsearch on page 11 to the group members to remind them of the verse.The page also includes a jar outline they can use to think about what God has made them tobe.

Challenge of the week (11+)

Work on a new tune or a rap to the classic Christian song lyrics:Spirit of the living God,Fall afresh on me.Melt me, mould me, fill me, use me.Spirit of the living God,Fall afresh on me.

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WWW.ATOZTEACHERSTUFF.COM

Design your own clay jar to showhow special God has created you!

You might want to decorate it withpictures that show things you aregood at or really love doing

Session c) Who does God say you are?Key to suggested suitability markers:11+ This material is generally suited to secondary age groupsO This material is designed/suitable for older/more mature young peopleU11 This material is particularly suitable for use with under 11’sZ Can be used on ZoomSD Can be used in a socially distanced group meeting

Who are they now? (U11, 11+, Z, SD)

Display the pictures of famous people when they were children (see page 14). Have the grouptry to work out who they are. Use this as a conversation starter with the following questions:■ Which ones do you think look the same, and which people look totally different now they

are older?■ This week we are looking at being a child of God, what do you think that means?■ How does the idea of being a child of God make you feel? Would it be something you would

want to be called?

Answers: 1. Zac Efron, 2. Kanye West, 3. Cardi B, 4. Adele, 5. Drake, 6. Lewis Hamilton, 7. Wayne Rooney, 8. Venus & Serena Williams, 9. Holly Willoughby, 10. Kate Middleton

Who do you say I am? (U11, 11+, Z, SD)

On Zoom use the whiteboard, in person use paper (and keep to one pen each, not sharing).Write names at the top of the sheet and write (or draw) encouraging things (Bible verses,pictures, words) about that person & why they are special.

Children of the perfect Father (U11, 11+, Z, SD)

The word ‘father’ (dad) is a loaded one for many people. Our view of the word is shaped by ourexperiences - good, bad or not at all - of our earthly father. For those whose experience of theirearthly dad has been negative, the language of ‘being a child of Father God’ is difficult.Summarise this for the group and then invite them to think about qualities of a perfect father.You could use the whiteboard on Zoom or paper to hold up if you’re meeting face-to-face.Reflect on the positive words that come up. Comment that even the best of these hardly beginto describe God - our perfect Father.Another way to approach this might be to provide a set of cards with lots of adjectives on(positive and negative) and invite the group to pick 2 or 3 each and explain why. (SD)

Bible Study (U11, 11+, Z, SD)

Read together Galatians 3:26-29. This Bible passage shows us that when we turn to God, webecome His children - the New Living Translation says when we unite with Jesus it is ‘likeputting on new clothes’. Many of us have complicated family relationships, so thinking of Godas a father can bring mixed feelings to the surface, however when we think about Father God,what does the Bible say about him? You could also focus on Psalm 103, and as a group highlightwhat this says about the kind of ‘father’ God is.Please note, you may need to explain that most of the first Christians were Jewish, and Gentileswere people who were non-Jewish.

Continued overleaf…Page 12 of 23

Continued…If you’ve used the pervious item, refer back to the qualities of a good father. If not, you mightlike to discuss this now before moving on to these questions based on Galatians 3:■ For those who would call themselves Christians, how does it feel to be called God’s children?■ What do you think verse 27 is saying, and why does that matter?■ In verse 29, does anyone know what God’s promise to Abraham was (look at verses 8-9)?

Do you think that’s a good thing?

Worship (11+, Z, SD)

Use the song ‘Who you say I am.’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKw6uqtGFfoPrint out the lyrics (or display them on screen share) and play the song. Ask the group tohighlight or make a note of the lyrics that speak to them, they want to know more about orfind confusing.Use this as an opportunity to explore who God says we are, and what we were created for.■ What does it mean to be ‘not forsaken’?■ How does it make you feel to think you are ‘chosen’?■ What does it mean to be a ‘child of God’?

Who does God say I am? (U11, Z, SD)Send or give copies to your group members of the comic ‘Best dad ever’ which you’ll find onpages 16 and 17.Look through the Bible verses from the Father’s Love Letter and have the children write themost meaningful to them on the mirror picture on page 18. Invite them to decorate the page,and hang it somewhere at home. You’ll also find a jumbled message on page 19.Please note, if they are colouring/writing face-to-face, they should not share pencils. (SD)

Going Deeper (O, Z, SD)

Read together Romans 12: 1-2, 1 John 1:19 and Philippians 4:8.When we make mistakes, there can sometimes be an attitude or set of beliefs that worksagainst them such as ‘of course I have got it wrong, I always get it wrong!’ or ‘I keep messingup in the same area, how can God keep seeing me as his child?’.Have you ever thought like this? Or still have these thoughts? Give the group time to honestlychat about how they see themselves and pray for God’s help. Here are some steps:■ Recognise negative thoughts or criticisms.■ Take the step to refuse to continue to think and act on those negative patterns or habits.

(Ask God to show them why they may have ended up struggling in the ways they do. Journal,draw or chat with others about what they uncover.)

■ It may be a good opportunity to repent for letting the negatives take headspace.■ Take some time to replace behaviours and thoughts for ones that are life-giving and

liberating. Ask people what they love about each other, take on some habits likedownloading a Bible app, making new friends who bring out the best in you, or follow someencouraging Instagram accounts.

Response: Father’s love letter (O, Z, SD)

Watch together the video found at https://www.fathersloveletter.com/Feel free to allow some silence following this before asking which parts stood out for eachgroup member.

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Challenge of the week (11+, Z, SD)

Create three affirmations that are the replacements of the negative thoughts. If possible backthese up with Bible verses also. Maybe think about using this as an opportunity for prizes forparticipation in this the following week.

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Cartoons by Ron Wheeler Cartoonworks.com

THE STORY OF ABOY NAMED BILLY

AND THE BIGGEST,BEST DAD

IN THE UNIVERSE!

ON THENEXTPAGE

theBestDad.net Permission to reprint

theBestDad.net©1999 FathersLoveLetter.com

Cartoons by Ron Wheeler Cartoonworks.comPermission to reprint

God says I am…Fill the mirror with words about who God says you are.

More about body, soul and spirit care.It may be looking for yourself at your body, soul and spirit needs, how are each refreshed andrenewed? This is how we live from the overflow that Jesus spoke of.

Body: Drink water regularly, exercise, sleep patterns, turning off electronics an hour before bed,Vitamins, Physical Touch (a love language for some)

Soul: Making sure we have support systems, vital friendships, review the five love languages -Dr Gary Chapman - https://www.5lovelanguages.com/, cook your favourite food or order yourgo-to takeaway, call a friend, create more than you consume, journal, watch clips that you mayenjoy - here are some we like:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-rSdt0aFuwhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JArN6rag8s

Spirit: Go back to your why. Why are you doing what you are doing? Create a vision board tohelp as the scripture in Habakkuk 2 - ‘Make the vision clear and plain so you can run with it.’ Itcan be old magazines, photos, literature, going back to old journals or words you have beengiven. Use all these to create a collage that gives a physical reminder of what your ‘why’ is andthe encouragement of what is ahead.

Honest conversationsCovid-19, lockdown, racial injustices, rites of passage, loss, and the death of loved ones … that isa lot to face in 6 months! We’d like to encourage you to be kind to yourself, acknowledge thewounds of these times, lament and give space for mourning. People have discovered overcenturies that the grieving process looks different for everyone. Your team and young peoplewill all be coming with external and internal expressions from this season. We encourage youto give time for each person to be seen and heard, including yourself, before rushing in to just‘getting on as normal’.

We are creating a video series called ‘Honest Conversations’ (featuring members of the UrbanSaints team) which you will find online on the Urban Saints Youtube channel. At the time ofwriting, the first is available. A further video will be released each week. Please consider thequestions raised in each video for yourself and do send us feedback. The first three are…

Video 1: How are you doing? - see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gUb8W1rfbI&t=5s■ It’s been a significant time unlike anything we have lived through before.■ How has life changed in this period?■ What was the hard stuff?■ What have been the joys?

Video 2. What can prepare us for moving forward within our teams and groups?■ Vulnerability is a word becoming more acceptable to us as society begins to let go of the

grip of ‘having it all together.’ Take a look at: Brene Brown The Power of Vulnerability:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCvmsMzlF7o

■ Your calling - why you got into youth work

Help for leaders

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Video 3. What needs will young people have as we return to our groups?■ This will look at behaviours arising from core issues that have arisen for team members and

young people during lockdown.■ Abandonment & rejection■ Anxiety■ Grief & loss■ Lack of control (negative coping mechanisms)

More videos will follow in future weeks.

Dealing with stressFinally, we’d like to include some help for understanding and dealing with stress which comesfrom NHS Scotland See the diagrams on the following 2 pages.

AND THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU CONTINUE TO DO IN YOUR GROUPSTO REACH AND DISCIPLE THIS GENERATION OF YOUNG PEOPLE IN

DIFFICULT TIMES.

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