Opportunities to
Missions Education Resource How to use this page
May 2013
The suggestions below will be helpful for using the stories on pages 18-22 of this issue in the life of your church. Small Group interaction, Study Group or Reading Group options are given, as well as suggestions for other congregational or family settings. Go online to www.thefellowship.info/affectonline for more suggestions.
Ministry Partners
In Small Groups:
The following is an outline for adult mission groups, Bible study classes or other small groups. Share copies of fellowship! with group members prior to the meeting and have some extra copies available. These suggestions are for a 45-minute time frame. 1. The goal of this session is to create or extend a partnership with CBF field personnel or a CBF ministry site. Before the session, ask a few group members to bring an iPad or laptop that will be able to get online during your session. Also bring copies of the current issue of the fellowship! magazine, and if possible, older issues of fellowship! (You can access older issues of fellowship! online at www.thefellowship.info/fellowship.) 2. Begin by asking the group what it means to “partner” with an organization or missions agency. 3. Say that you would like for the group to consider creating a partnership with CBF field personnel or a CBF ministry site. Let the group know that this could be a small partnership or a larger partnership, depending on the energy and commitment of the group. 4. Tell the group that to frame the discussion on partnership, you want to discuss three stories from this month’s fellowship! magazine. Divide group members into three groups and have each group read one of the stories on partnership and then summarize it for the group. (See pages 18-22.) 5. Give each group time to summarize the articles and then discuss by asking: 1) What are key characteristics of these partnerships? 2) Do you think partnerships like these are important? Why or why not? 3) If we were to partner with CBF
Around the Table: At Home 1. For this activity, you’ll be talking about the importance of partnership with CBF field personnel and ministry sites. To prepare, read the stories on partnership in this month’s fellowship! magazine. (See pages 18-22.) 2. Gather everyone together and say you’re going to play a game. Take a common household task (like setting the table), choose a volunteer and tell them you’re going to time them to see how quickly they can do the task. After they’re finished, write down their time. 3. Then, put everything back where it was (ex: unset the table) and get everyone on board to do the same task again, but this time everyone who is present should work together. Time the group to see how long it takes. 4. Ideally, when the whole team works together to do the task, it takes less time. As you compare the times around the table, talk about the value of partnership and working together. You might give some illustrations from the previous exercise. (Ex: it was easier to set the table together because tall people could help to get down dishes that others couldn’t reach, etc.)
field personnel or a CBF ministry site, how might our partnership look similar? How might it look different? 6. Continue the conversation by asking, “If we were to create a partnership, what ministry site might be a good fit for our group? What kind of partnership would this be?” (Ex: a commitment to pray, to send supplies, a commitment to partner by providing technical or other expertise, a service trip, etc.)
fellowship!
CBF
Cooperative baptiSt fellowShip | www.thefellowShip.info
Serving Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission
Meet Suzii Paynter on March 1, Suzii paynter began work at the fellowship’s new executive Coordinator.
Learn more about her and her vision for CBF on pages 24-27.
7. Optional: To take the conversation further, encourage members to look through old fellowship! magazines to find ideas for ministries to partners with. 8. Depending on the discussion in the group, you could end by committing to try and initiate a partnership, by committing to pray for CBF field personnel or a CBF ministry site, or to continue to pray about this idea and discuss it at a later meeting. 9. End by praying for CBF ministries and their partners. Be sure to pray for those mentioned in the Prayer Calendar on page 6.
In Reading Groups Mountains Beyond Mountains — by Tracy Kidder Mountains Beyond Mountains tells the true story of Paul Farmer, a Harvard-educated doctor who chose to work among Haiti’s poor. Farmer’s advances on treating the poor, particularly those with HIV and AIDS, have revolutionized the way medicine is done in the developing world. For a book discussion guide, visit www.thefellowship.info/affectonline.
5. Allow this exercise to open room to discuss the articles on partnership in this month’s fellowship! magazine. 6. End by praying for CBF field personnel and ministry sites and reminding everyone gathered that prayer is an important way of partnering together to do God’s work.
fellowship!
April/May 2013
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