February 2014 Cell Material

FEBRUARY 2014

celloutlines | overview

‘I AM’

Have you ever written an ‘I Am’ poem? Maybe at school or at the beginning of a seminar or workshop? Why not have a go now!

The group leader will read the rough ‘I Am’ poem template – all you need to do is fill in the blanks. So here we go: (Leaders, see notes below!)

TITLE (This will be your name) I am (two special characteristics) I wonder (something you are actually curious about) I hear (an imaginary sound) I see (an imaginary sight) I want (an actual desire) I am (the first line of the poem restated) I pretend (something you pretend to do) I feel (a feeling about something imaginary) I touch (an imaginary touch)

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I worry (something that really bothers you) I cry (something that makes you very sad) I am (the first line of the poem repeated) I understand (something you know is true) I say (something you believe in) I dream (something you actually dream about) I try (something you make an effort to do) I hope (something you actually hope for) I am (the first line of the poem repeated)

Now read out and share your ‘I Am’ poems with each other.

This is a fun way to introduce the new ALOVE theme for 2014. You’ve guessed it – the theme is ‘I Am’.

This is not just all about you, though… actually someone much more significant said these words first! continued over u

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FEBRUARY 2014

celloutlines | overview In Exodus 3, Moses bravely asks God for his name. He wanted to know God’s name so the Hebrew people would know exactly who had sent him to them. God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: “I AM has sent me to you”’ (v14 NIV). God called himself ‘I am’, a name describing his eternal power and unchangeable character.

Years later, these same words came from the lips of Jesus… ‘I am’. In using these words, as we shall see, Jesus was claiming to be God; and for us today we can hear the same God who spoke to Moses still speaking to us through the words of Jesus.

So 2014 will be the year for discovering more about our God who calls himself ‘I AM’ and how ‘I am’ able to be a part of his mission.

Who is God? We will learn about God through the significance of his name ‘I AM’ and how he reveals himself to us through the ‘I am’ sayings of Jesus.

Who am I in God? We want to learn more about ourselves and what it means to be a disciple, to discover how ‘I am’ significant and have a part to play.

What impact does that have on those around me?

By discovering more about God and ourselves we can learn more about how we grow in relationship to others and how to be more effective in reaching out to those around us – to go into the world to find and point out Jesus.

This month’s Cell groups are a light introduction to the theme of ‘I Am’, as throughout the rest of this year’s Cell groups we will be diving deeper into all of these topics.

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This month, in Week One we will look at who God is and what he means when he calls himself ‘I AM’. In Week Two we will continue to think about God, this time looking at Jesus and the ‘I am’ statements he made about himself. In Week Three we will begin to consider who we really are as children of God and disciples of Jesus. And finally, in Week Four, we will look at how we can put our knowledge of God – our faith – into action by helping those around us.

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Leader’s notes ‘I Am’ poem An ‘I Am’ poem is made up of three stanzas that are six lines each and normally do not rhyme. It follows a specific format, and is used to describe something, often a person or an object. The beginning of each line is already written, and the writer fills in the end of each line by inserting a specific word or words.

(Read more: www.ehow.com/how_4967013_write-am-poem.html) There are loads of templates for this type of poem online if you would like to prepare a handout for your group members. Or you could simply read out the starting phrase for each sentence and ask each person to jot down their answers on a blank piece of paper (this option may keep this activity moving faster!).

Cell Extra Don’t forget to remind your group about Cell Extra – which you/they can download from the ALOVE website.

This month’s Cell Extra provides six devotional style activities to complement the cell notes.

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FEBRUARY 2014

celloutlines | overview

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FEBRUARY 2014

celloutlines | week one These Cell Outlines are written by ALOVE UK. They are available every month from our web site. For more information and other cell resources, visit alove.salvationarmy.org.uk

I AM WHO I AM WELCOME Have each person secretly write on a Post-it Note the name of a famous person. Keeping the name hidden, stick the Post-it to another’s forehead.

Each person takes turns to ask the group questions to figure out who the unknown person on their forehead is.

The catch is that only ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answers can be asked, eg, Am I alive?

Am I female?

If the answer is ‘no’ your turn is over. If the answer is ‘yes’, you can ask another question. Keep going until you get a ‘no’ or make a guess at who you are. If you guess right, you win – or if you guess wrong, your turn is over.

Keep going until everyone has guessed. Or if time is tight, maybe stop after a few right answers.

Read the Cell Introduction together The Cell Introduction provides an important introduction to this month’s theme, so it is essential to make some time to read it together.

WORD Read Exodus 3:1–15.

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Introduce a time of discussion with the following thoughts: The Egyptians had gods with many different names. Moses wanted to know God’s name so the Hebrew people would know exactly who had sent him to them. When God told Moses his name, what he actually said is represented by Hebrew characters spelling ‘YHWH’. No one is quite sure how to say this either in Hebrew or in English. Some people have made it easier to say in English by writing it as ‘Jehovah’. But what it means is something like ‘I am what I am’ or even ‘I will be what I will be’.

God called himself I AM, a name describing his eternal power and unchangeable character. God reminded Moses of his covenant promises to Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3,15,17), Isaac (Genesis 26:2–5) and Jacob (Genesis 28:13–15) and used the name I AM to show his unchanging nature. So even though everything in the universe will one day come to an end, God is the one who has always been there and always will be.

Use the following questions as you find helpful: What questions do you have about God… what would you have asked God about himself if you had been there like Moses?

What questions do you have about yourself?

How do you think a real and intimate knowledge of God can impact the way we live?

Can you get your head around God who has always been and always will be?!

Give out to each group member a copy of the handout attached below. This handout includes ten statements about who God is, written by John Piper, based on the Scripture passage we have read above and that God called himself ‘I AM’. Discuss and complete the handout together. continued over u

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FEBRUARY 2014

celloutlines | week one (continued...)

(If you would like to listen to the whole 30-minute preach by John Piper you can find it on YouTube. Search ‘I AM who I AM – John Piper [Exodus 3:13-15]’ or follow the link www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzJE1Xtkm6o ).

PRAYER Spend a few moments in quiet to think about God! He was there before anything else at all. He will be there when everything else has stopped. The last book of the Bible, Revelation 1:8, describes God saying: ‘I am Alpha and Omega, the one who is and was and is coming. I am God All-Powerful!’ Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, so it’s like saying ‘I am A to Z of everything’. Wow! Find a Psalm that speaks of the awesomeness of God. Try to rewrite it in your own words, then use these in a time of prayer together.

ACTION ‘Moses spent his first 40 years thinking he was somebody. He spent his second 40 years learning he was a nobody. And he spent his third 40 years discovering what God can do with a nobody.’ (Dwight L. Moody quoted in Moses by Charles Swindoll) Think about the awesomeness of God… is there anything that you couldn’t do with God on your side?!

For Next Week Memorise the following verse for next week: ‘If God is for us, who can be against us?’ (Romans 8:31 NIV).

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Put this verse into action in some way this week and report back next week!

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celloutlines | week one (continued...)

I AM WHO I AM

‘God said, “I am who I am. You must tell them: ‘The one who is called I AM has sent me to you.”’

(Exodus 3:14 GNT)

1. God never had a beginning – he has always been.

2. God will never end.

3. God is absolute reality. (There is no reality before God or outside of God.) 4. God is utterly independent.

5. Everything that is not God depends totally on God; everything that is not God is secondary to God. 6. All the universe is, by comparison to God, as nothing (like a shadow is to a substance).

7. God is constant – the same yesterday, today and forever.

8. God is the absolute standard of truth, goodness and beauty.

9. God does whatever he pleases, and it is always right and it is always beautiful.

10. God is the most important and valuable reality, and the most important and valuable person that is. He is worthy of our highest interest, greatest attention, deepest admiration and sweetest enjoyment.

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Which one of these statements about God really blows your mind the most…? Why?

Complete the speech bubbles on the picture with something that you have learnt in this cell group!

Image source: http://yourthemanjesus.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-o-matic/cache/c3647_Moses-and-the-Burning-Bush-full-color.png

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FEBRUARY 2014

celloutlines | week two These Cell Outlines are written by ALOVE UK. They are available every month from our web site. For more information and other cell resources, visit alove.salvationarmy.org.uk

‘I AM’ SAYINGS OF JESUS WELCOME Play the ‘Who Said It?’ quiz – attached below.

Feedback Find out which group members have memorised Romans 8:31 and how they have put it into action during the past week.

WORD 1. The Gospel of John records Jesus as saying several ‘I am…’ phrases about himself. His unique authority and identity as the Son of God are expressed in these sayings. For the Jews at the time who knew their Bibles well the meaning of all these ‘I am’ sayings would have been clear. Jesus was saying, ‘I am God’!

Watch either of the following two clips on YouTube.

‘I Am’ Statements of Jesus – www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZb6IfZ9Gjg The Seven ‘I am’ Statements of Jesus – www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFEVbiydJIw (The Vanmount Channel) Ask each group member to write down the seven ‘I Am’ statements of Jesus, with the Bible reference, as they watch.

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2. Give each person (or in pairs if you have a large group) one of the Scripture passages below.

John 6:25–40

I am the bread of life

John 8:12–20

I am the light of the world

John 10:1–10

I am the door for the sheep

John 10:11–18

I am the good shepherd

John 11:17–27

I am the resurrection and the life

John 14:1–14

I am the way, the truth and the life

John 15:1–9

I am the true vine

Take it in turns to each read the passage aloud.

Provide a range of art materials and ask each person to create a picture to illustrate the ‘I am’ statement and Bible passage that they have been given. (Sketches or stick men will be fine if your group are not artists!)

Place all the pictures together in the centre of the group with some large flipchart/wallpaper beside them. Write on the flipchart paper any actions/emotions/thoughts that you see portrayed by the drawings – eg, security, nourishment, love, direction, care, sustenance, hope, new life.

Take some time to consider each of these words, then ask the group, ‘What new thing do you discover about God that you hadn’t realised before?’ Share your thoughts together.

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PRAYER Ask each person to write a two- or three-line prayer based on their own ‘I am’ statement. Take it in turns to read these out in a time of prayer and all agree with a loud ‘Amen!’

ACTION Which one statement do you feel you need more of in your life – eg, the need to feel more safe and secure (good shepherd), worrying about the future (the way, the truth and the life), or the need to feel more satisfied (the bread of life). Memorise the statement you have chosen and outwork it in one way in your daily activities this week.

For Next Week Memorise John 14:9 NIV – ‘Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.’

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celloutlines | week two (continued...)

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FEBRUARY 2014

celloutlines | week two (continued...)

‘Who Said It?’ Quiz 1. ‘Just keep swimming.’

2. ‘A sk not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.’

3. ‘That’s one small step for man, but a giant leap for mankind.’

4. ‘I am your father.’

5. ‘I have a dream.’

6. ‘Am I my brother’s keeper?’

7. ‘Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.’

8. ‘We are not amused.’

9. ‘I love Mickey Mouse more than any woman I have ever known.’

10. ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.’

11. ‘The greatness of a man’s power is the measure of his surrender.’

12. ‘I volunteer as tribute.’

13. ‘It’s elementary, my dear Watson.’

Answers 1. Dory in Finding Nemo 2. John F. Kennedy 3. Neil Armstrong 4. Darth Vader 5. Martin Luther King Jr 6. Cain 7. Albus Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban 8. Queen Victoria (allegedly)

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9. Walt Disney 10. Jesus 11. William Booth 12. Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games 13. Sherlock Holmes (in a stage adaptation by William Gillette; the phrase never occurs in Conan Doyle’s stories)

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FEBRUARY 2014

celloutlines | week three These Cell Outlines are written by ALOVE UK. They are available every month from our web site. For more information and other cell resources, visit alove.salvationarmy.org.uk

WHO AM I? WELCOME 1. Ask each person in the group to come up with words to describe themselves using the letters in their first name. The phrase is then shared with the group. As an example, Lyndsay could stand for ‘Loud, Young, Nerdy, Dreamer, Strong, Adventurous, Yearning’.

As a more creative alternative, each person could come up with a silly phrase based on the letters in their first name. So Lyndsay could be ‘Lively Young Nurses Dance Salsa All Year’.

OR 2. If I were a…

Ask each person to say what they would be and why, if they were…

A piece of fruit

An historical figure

A household object

Any other fun group you can think of!

A cartoon character For example: ‘I would be a pineapple as I am exotic, sweet and zingy.’ ‘I would be a whisk as I like to stir things up.’ ‘I would be Taz as I rush around like a crazy creature!’ etc.

Feedback Challenge the group to recite John 14:9 from memory.

Ask each person to give one example of how they have outworked one of the ‘I am’ sayings of Jesus during the week.

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WORD 1. Who am I? Sooner or later we all get round to asking ourselves the question ‘Who am I?’ We want to know why we are here on the planet, why we are the way we are, and what we’ve got to offer to the world!

These are very important questions and it’s essential that each one of us finds a satisfactory answer for ourselves. To answer the question ‘Who am I?’ we need to go back to the beginning to look at God’s original design for us. Only there do we find the foundational truths that tell us who we really are.

Read Genesis 1:26–28 from The Message: God spoke: ‘Let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting our nature So they can be responsible for the fish in the sea, the birds in the air, the cattle, And, yes, Earth itself, and every animal that moves on the face of Earth.’

God created human beings; he created them godlike, Reflecting God’s nature.

He created them male and female.

God blessed them: ‘Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge!

Be responsible for fish in the sea and birds in the air, for every living thing that moves on the face of Earth.’ continued over u

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celloutlines | week three (continued...)

Discuss: What do these verses tell us about who we are?

Use the following thoughts as you discuss the above question together: This tells us that we are made in the image of God. We are made in God’s image and likeness, reflecting his nature. We are made like God, we are a model based on him.

An image does not exist by itself... your image in a mirror is not there unless you yourself are looking in the mirror! So, to know ourselves we must know God. Our identity comes from beyond ourselves… not from within ourselves or from around us. Our identity is dependent on God and how he made us.

The more you agree with God about your identity, the more your behaviour will begin to reflect your God-given identity. God’s opinion is the one that counts. Accept what God says about you, agree with him that it is true of you and become the spiritual person you are.

Once you choose to follow Jesus you become a new creation. The old you passes away and you become who you are in him. Your identity doesn’t depend on something you do or have done. Your true identity is who you are in Christ. Understanding who you are in Christ will give you a strong foundation to build your life on.

Knowing who you are in Jesus is the key to a successful Christian life and a life lived on purpose.

2. False thoughts about identity Print out the sheet at the end of these notes and cut out the phrases/Scriptures into cards as indicated. The grey cards, on the left of the sheet, represent thoughts that we often have about ourselves and believe about our identity. The white cards, on the right, represent the truth about who we are in Christ.

Place all the grey cards face up in the centre of the group, so you can see them all. Then spread out the white cards around the outside of the group of grey cards. Ask group members to try to match up a correct Bible statement of our true identity with one of the false statements of lies that we often believe about ourselves.

Discuss as you find relevant.

3. Watch the following short YouTube clip as a summary of all you have discussed. Search ‘Your Identity in Christ’ or follow the link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsDQEb-qlyM

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PRAYER Spend some time reflecting on the true statements on the white cards. Ask each person to pick one that they find most relevant to them at this time. In pairs, pray for each other, that each person would understand and live out more of their true identity in Christ, and pray specifically about the Bible statement they picked out.

The following two tracks may be useful during this time. Find on YouTube or download from iTunes: Sinach – ‘I Know Who I Am’ Martin Smith – ‘Only Got Eyes’

ACTION Live this week in your true identity, and watch out for times when you start to think/believe lies about who you are! Report back next week as to how hard/easy you found this to do.

For Next Week Memorise one of the Scriptures as used in this cell group.

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celloutlines | week three (continued...)

‘I am not acceptable as I am.’

‘I need more stuff to be happy.’

‘I am accepted in Christ.’

‘I am the salt of the earth.’

(John 1:12)

‘I’ve made too many mistakes.’

(Matthew 5:13)

‘God will never use someone like me.’

‘I am free for ever from condemnation.’

(Romans 8:1–2)

‘I am chosen by Christ to bear fruit.’

(John 15:16)

‘I can’t do it.’

‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.’

(Philippians 4:13)

‘I am a total failure.’

‘In all these things I am completely victorious through God who showed his love for me.’

(Romans 8:37)

‘My body isn’t musclely enough / thin enough.’

‘I am a temple – a dwelling place – for God. His Spirit and his life live in me.’

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(1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19)

‘I don’t belong.’

‘I am a child of God and one with others in his family.’

(Galatians 3:26–28)

‘If I didn’t have my good looks / good body I wouldn’t have anything.’

‘I am a child of God and will receive the inheritance he has promised.’

(Galatians 4:6,7)

‘I am no one without girlfriend/boyfriend.’

‘I am a member of a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God.’ (1 Peter 2:9,10)

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celloutlines | week four These Cell Outlines are written by ALOVE UK. They are available every month from our web site. For more information and other cell resources, visit alove.salvationarmy.org.uk

HOW SHOULD I LIVE? WELCOME Use the ‘Christian Heroes: Stories of Faith in Action’ quiz attached below. Read out each bio to the group and ask if they can guess which great ‘hero of faith’ the story is referring to. (If you think these are too easy you could write some of your own. See www.christianheroes.com for inspiration.)

Feedback Ask the group how they found trying to live their ‘true identity’. What difference did this make? Were there times when they found themselves thinking/believing lies about who they are?

Check if anyone has memorised a Scripture from last week.

WORD 1. Read James 2:26 and Acts 9:36–42.

Discuss: How did Dorcas demonstrate the principle of James 2:26, eg, faith in action?

Use some/all of the thoughts below as you find relevant during your discussion.

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Dorcas made an enormous impact on her community by ‘always doing good and helping the poor’ and by making robes and other clothing. She was a disciple who believed in putting her faith into action; she was a ‘doer’, not just a believer. She met the needs of poor and lonely people in Joppa. She must have done this in a compassionate, nurturing way as she appears to have been well loved.

The Bible story focuses on the widows that she must have helped. There could have been young widows with children they could not feed and clothe, and older widows who had no resources to support them.

They might not all have been poor, but they all had needs that required human intervention. Perhaps Dorcas gathered them in her house or a public place, attracting them by organising a sewing circle so they would have new clothes for themselves and their loved ones. Maybe they also made up bundles of clothing to take to impoverished families.

When she died the room was full of mourners, very likely the people she had helped. When she was bought back to life the news raced through the town. God uses great preachers like Peter and Paul, but he also uses those who have the gift of kindness like Dorcas.

Ask the group if they know anyone like Dorcas in their own community.

2. Winter Coats A beautiful lady from Bristol recently responded to a need that touched her heart in a simple yet effective way.

(A modern-day Dorcas, perhaps?) Read her blog below to find out what she did: ‘I was listening to the BBC Radio 4 programme “Saturday Live” this morning. Not a programme I listen to very often, as I’m usually out on my bike at that time; but today was an exception, and I’m glad it was.

One of the guests on the programme was a lady called Camilla Batmanghelidjh, founder of an organisation called Kids Company (www.kidsco.org.uk if you want to know more). Kids Company was set up in 1996 to provide emotional, practical and educational support to vulnerable inner-city children, and it now supports 36,000 children from its centres in London and Bristol. continued over u

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celloutlines | week four (continued...)

There were two things that really hit me about what Camilla was saying: 1. the inability that so many of the children have to dream or hope about the future. They are so trapped in excruciatingly dysfunctional and chaotic lives, so focused on just getting through each day, so consumed with just trying to find food and shelter for the next 24 hours, that there is no capacity left to dream, or imagine, or hope.

2. the waiting list that they have for winter coats. Over 3,000 children on their books don’t have a winter coat. And that’s just on the books of Kids Company, who only work in London and Bristol – how many more children are there without a coat living in Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, Glasgow, Newcastle etc?

It’s sad to say that the plight of these children won’t make the headlines. This is just an ongoing problem that has been there for many years, and sadly will continue for many more years, given the current financial trends and growing gap between rich and poor.

But that doesn’t mean we can’t do anything about it. For me, my immediate response is that there are some winter coats in this house that will be taken to the Bristol centre this week (and if anyone wants to add a coat to the pile I’ll take those as well), and I’ll be praying about what other response I could make over a longer term.

For you it could be a very different response – please just take time to remember these children for a moment, and consider what that response could be.’

This lady was moved to respond to the simple need of a winter coat for a child in need. She spread the word around her community and a week later she took a car rammed with around 500 coats, plus hats, scarves and gloves, to the Kids Company centre in Bristol. Here is the second part of her blog: ‘I must say it has been a wonderful act to be part of – and so beautiful to see how quickly the word spread in so many directions, as people got behind the need that I only actually voiced one week ago.

In summary – I heard about the need for 3,000 winter coats on Saturday, [put it on] Facebook and blogged it that night, mentioned it at church on the Sunday, and from that day coats started coming in. On Monday five local schools were told about the need, and by the end of the week we had a lot of bags of donations from them. We also had bags of coats from various other quarters, and it all resulted in me driving down to Kids Company on Friday with a car absolutely packed full of coats for all ages.

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It was a privilege to be the person able to take the coats down, and so see the delight on the faces of the staff as I showed them the car. With lots of help, we got all the coats indoors, and the staff started telling me more about the work that they do.

It’s so sad to think that families and individuals just down the road from us are in so much need, and live such dysfunctional and disengaged lives, but that is the reality, and it’s great to think that we have been able to do even just a tiny bit to help them.

So thank you to everyone who helped with this impromptu appeal – may you be blessed as you have blessed others.’

(Story included by permission of Helen Harrison: http://softhearthardfeet.blogspot.co.uk) Discuss any other examples of people or organisations who put their faith into action.

What sort of practical projects are going on in your community / corps / wider Salvation Army? What areas of need do your group members feel strongly about? Could your cell group plan one simple action to help a group of people in need this winter? Or maybe you could get involved in one of the SAID campaigns.

3. ‘I’ll Fight’ Day Later on in the year ALOVE will be running an ‘I’ll Fight’ Day. ‘I’ll Fight’ Day is a social action event that occurs in the local community by the young people, very similar to what The Salvation Army has done in the USA. The continued over u

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idea is that for one day across the whole UK the youth go into their local communities to serve and to make a difference, in whatever way they can.

ALOVE will be sending out more information about this soon, including resource packs and ideas, to every corps that signs up with us to do this. We will also set up a social network through a number of media so that young people can connect with the wider Salvation Army as they participate in it.

Perhaps you could mention this to your cell group now and begin to brainstorm a few ideas that could work in your own community!

PRAYER Browse through a local newspaper together. Find a story that touches your heart and pray about this together.

Can you find any article where people in the local community are asking for help in anyway? If so, pray about what your response should be.

ACTION Put your faith into action this week in some way!

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Christian Heroes: Stories of Faith in Action 1. She was born in Holland in 1892. When the Germans invaded in 1940 she joined the underground movement in an attempt to hide Jews from the Nazis and to smuggle them to safety.

She and her family were eventually betrayed and imprisoned. With her sister this lady was shipped to various concentration camps where she continued to teach fellow prisoners about Jesus Christ. Her sister died whilst they were imprisoned. Following the war this lady helped in rehabilitation camps and she travelled all over the world telling people of her experiences and of how faithful and loving God is.

Answer: Corrie Ten Boom 2. This man became an English MP at the age of only 25, in 1784, and is most famous for his work towards the abolition of slavery. He set up a Committee for the Abolition of the Slave Trade in 1787, and he repeatedly exposed the horrors of slavery to his fellow Members of Parliament. He achieved his first success in 1807, when a bill to abolish the slave trade became law. In 1833 he achieved his final goal with the passing of the Slavery Abolition Act (an act which gave all slaves in the British Empire their freedom). He died only one month later.

Answer: William Wilberforce 3. This lady was born in Italy in 1820. At 17 years of age she believed she was called into service by God ‘to do something toward lifting the load of suffering from the helpless and miserable’. She trained to become a nurse and became most famous for her work with wounded soldiers of the Crimean War. The soldiers, who were both moved and comforted by her endless supply of compassion, took to calling her ‘the Lady with the Lamp’. Others simply called her ‘the Angel of the Crimea’. Her work reduced the hospital’s death rate by two-thirds. Today she is often acknowledged and revered as the pioneer of modern nursing.

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Answer: Florence Nightingale 4. This man was born in 1902 to Scottish missionaries with the London Missionary Society who served in northern China. At the age of six he was sent to boarding school in England where he developed a love of sport.

He became an outstanding sportsman, and became well known for being the fastest runner in Scotland. In 1924 he competed in the Paris Olympics, but as a committed Christian he refused to run on Sunday, with the consequence that he was forced to withdraw from the 100 metres race, his best event. Instead he entered the 400 metres, won the race, and broke the existing world record! He gave the secret of his success as ‘I run the first 200 metres as fast as I can. Then, with God’s help, I run harder.’ After his Olympic success, with fame and fortune within his grasp, he gave up sport and returned to China as a missionary, where he served God in very dangerous situations, including as a prisoner of war, for the rest of his life.

Answer: Eric Liddell 5. This lady was born in the north of Ireland in 1867. When she was 18 her father died and the family went to Belfast where she became involved with mission work in Belfast itself. Her heart for missionary work increased and she found her lifelong vocation in India in 1895. In an effort to respect Indian culture, she herself dressed in Indian clothes, dyed her skin with coffee, and often travelled long distances on India’s hot, dusty roads to save just one child from suffering.

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FEBRUARY 2014

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The main focus of her work was rescuing ‘temple children’, young girls dedicated to the gods and forced into prostitution to earn money for the priests’ work. Over the years, this lady rescued many children, often at the cost of extreme exhaustion and personal danger. She set up homes for these needy children. Later she built a house for boys and a community hospital.

She ran these homes for 55 years until her death in 1951. During this time she wrote many books about the missionary work.

Answer: Amy Carmichael 6. This man was a German born in 1805 who came to England in 1829. He was a church minister and preacher, and moved to Bristol in 1832. He is most well known for establishing the first orphanage in England, which he began by opening up his own home to provide for 30 orphan girls. A few years later he opened a new home to accommodate over 300 children, and by 1870 nearly 2,000 children were being cared for in five different homes.

This man lived a life of such faith in God that he would even sit down for the next meal when there was no food in the house, because he knew that God would provide. And God did. Always. The children never went hungry – they always had what was necessary. There were always the right people to look after the orphans. They always had the money to buy the necessary land. There was always enough money to complete the buildings.

At the age of 70, this man toured the world, preaching and lecturing. He collected the funds necessary to run the orphanage and demonstrated all over the world how Christianity should achieve great things. He travelled 250,000 miles and preached to 3 million people in 42 countries. He died in Bristol at the age of 93. Huge crowds turned out in Bristol for the funeral and churches all over the world held special services to honour a son of God.

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Answer: George Muller

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