The Family Meal

John Murchison writes for the VergeNetwork.  In this article he discusses one of features of developing Missional Communities:
The Family Meal

What Is A Family Meal?
In short, a Family Meal is an opportunity for the community to gather together around a meal to eat, talk, share life, rejoice with those who are rejoicing, and mourn with those who are mourning (Romans 12:15). It’s less like a Sunday School class that happens to meet in a home and more like a gathering of extended family over food. The Bible certainly is a frequent topic of conversation, but it’s less like “Everyone open your Bibles to Philippians 3,” and more like “Earlier this week, I read this passage of Philippians that I wanted to share with you.”

Click here to view the full article.

 

4 Things Moms (and Dads) Should Teach Kids About Prayer

Mimi Bullock writes on the Ministry to Children Webpage.
As Mother’s Day and Father’s Day rolls around, let’s think a little more about what we can do to encourage our children to talk to God. Over the years, I’ve picked up a few pointers when it comes to teaching kids about prayer. 1. Kids should know that God speaks their “language.” Whether influenced by King James or our favorite minister, we adults tend to get formal at times when talking to God. I doubt that you break out the thee’s and thou’s in front of your child during family prayer but if you do, perhaps you should reconsider. Kids need to know that talking to God is not always formal; it can be from their own childish language.

Read more here.

 

Internet sessions for parentsand teens

Diane Kingston from Romsey Abbey has emailed us with the following offer:

on 3 Fridays in September I’ll be running some sessions at Romsey Abbey Church Rooms that could be of interest :

Internet for parents, teachers, youth leaders & community members on Fridays from 7:30pm to 9pm, starting with refreshments:

12th Sept – Helping children stay safe while online
19th Sept – Explore the dangers and signs of cyber-bullying

Internet for 11-18 year olds on Friday 26th Sept from 7:30pm to 9pm, starting with refreshments:

26th Sept – Controlling your online identity – protecting your digital reputation

There is no charge for these sessions, but there will be a retiring collection to cover costs, and any profit will be split between Romsey Abbey and Mary’s Meals (a charity providing daily meals to schoolchildren in some of the world’s poorest communities)

These sessions will include handouts – you don’t need to bring a laptop with you.

5 Mentoring Questions to Ask (and 5 Questions to Ask You Mentor)

I’m preparing to have a first meeting with someone who is seeking mentoring this morning, and as it’s been a while since I’ve done mentoring I thought I’d get some inspiration on questions to ask. Below are five questions I’ll be asking as mentor and then 5 questions you could ask if you’re being mentored.

5 Mentoring Questions:

1. Why are you looking for mentoring/what do you expect to get out of our time together? What do you expect to give?
2. Where do you see yourself in 1/3/5 years? (Do you have any kind of plan?)
3. Have you had a mentor before? What worked? What didn’t?
4. What propels you? What holds you back?
5. Are you happy?

And a sixth extra killer question…

6. What questions do you have for me?

5 Questions For Your Mentor

1. How do you spend most of your time?
2. What are you most proud of achieving?
3. What do you see as your main goal?
4. Who should I be connecting with?
5. What used to be (are) your biggest weaknesses?

And a sixth extra killer question…

6. How can I help you?

HT http://www.forbes.com/sites/theyec/2014/02/28/10-killer-questions-to-make-the-most-of-your-mentor-meeting/ & http://onmentoring.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/5-questions-to-ask-new-mentees.html

Christian Youthwork in Theory and Practice – New Book from SCM Press

I’ve just ordered my copy of this brand new title from editors Sally Nash and Jo Whitehead, but I’ve got high expectations for this latest text book for youth ministry – not least because it’s one of very few written from and for the UK context.

It’s currently available direct from SCM for the reduced price of £20, (that’s cheaper than Amazon!)

Read a full synopsis and a couple of reviews here.

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5 Questions to Ask Your Youth Group About Pentecost

Good open questions are one of the keys to great youth work – the ability to ask a question that will spark conversation is always going to be better than a list of facts to instruct your group in.

Here are 5 questions to get you all chatting about Pentecost (June 8 2014), you may want to start by reading Acts 2: 1-13

1. How do you think you would you have reacted to the sound of rushing wind and the tongues of fire?

2. How does the Holy Spirit’s arrival change the disciples?

3. How did the disciples respond to the ‘sneering’ of the crowds? How do you respond when people sneer at your faith?

4. What kinds of things would you like the Holy Spirit to give you the courage to do?

5. How does God’s Spirit work in us today? Is it the same as the story in Acts 2 or different?