VALENTINE'S DAY - Power to Change Ministries

Bridges Holiday Connection

VALENTINE'S DAY Faith Adventure Package

> Love resonates with many people!

3

Overview

The Vision

Getting Started

Step 1: Build a Team

Step 2: The Briefing

Step 3: Keep Track of Your Team

Step 4: The Party

Step 5: The Follow-up

Appendix 1: The Roles

Hosting and Decorating Coordinator

Advertising Coordinator

Food and Snacks Coordinator

Message (Content) and A/V Coordinator

Games and Prizes Coordinator

Follow-up and Bible Study Coordinator

Appendix 2: Talk Notes

Table of Contents

>

>The VisionInternational students come from all around the world to seek a better life and a better education in our country. Canada has marketed itself to the world as being a great place to reach your potential. About 1 in 10 university students in our country are international students that come from all kinds of belief systems and backgrounds. They come to Canada eager to learn about and experience Canadian culture.

When we look closely at Canada, we can see how Christianity is woven into the very fabric of our society. This is most easily seen through our holidays. Two of our biggest holidays, Christmas and Easter, are based on the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Even holidays like Thanksgiving and Valentine’s Day have strong themes that stem from Christian roots and provide a great opportunity to share the gospel.

International students are curious about our holidays and how they’re celebrated in Canada. When the holiday buzz is in the air and shopping malls are filled with Christmas trees, flashing lights and Santa Claus, they wonder, What’s going on? How can I be a part of this?

Through this Faith Adventure package we want to give you the tools you need to gather, love and engage international students. Our desire is for you to cast your nets wide and give international students the opportunity to hear about Jesus in a loving and culturally sensitive environment, using their natural curiosity about Canadian holidays. This package will help you share the difference between the original meaning and the current practice of each holiday. It will also give you tips and ideas on how to communicate the gospel in ways that international students will understand.

Getting StartedWe’re so excited that you’ve decided to take the step of faith and connect with international students on your campus. You’ll want to make sure you have about four weeks of preparation time from now until the day of your party. Also, keep in mind that your event doesn’t need to take place on the specific date the holiday falls on. For example, it’s very acceptable to have a Valentine’s party the week of February 14th.

Overview

5

>

>

> >

>>>

>>

Step 1: Build a TeamOur first step is to find a team of people to help you with this task. Take some time now and brainstorm 10 students who love Jesus. They may not have the heart to reach international students yet, but that’s where you’ll come in. Pray through the list and ask God to send people to help you in this mission.

Next, call to arrange an appointment to meet with them. Tell them about what you’re doing and how they can get involved. Start with the bigger vision (see Vision section above). People will beneeded for a variety of roles—to run the event and to befriend the students who attend it. Your focus is to share the vision and to secure the commitment from of at least five people.

¨ Brainstorm 10 Christians ¨ Arrange to meet them ¨ Share vision and invite

them to your team ¨ Arrange a time to pray

and plan together as a group

Step 2: The BriefingNow that you’ve gathered your team together, the next step is to get them up to speed on what you’re doing. You will want to arrange a meeting for an hour a week leading up to your event. Set aside a half hour for prayer and a half hour for planning.

> Pray. Share your heart and your hope to reach international students, along with some related verses, with your group. Some good ones are Matthew 28:16–20 and Revelation 7:9–12, just to name a couple. Pray for each other and for those you’re trying to reach.

> Plan. Run through the roles and explain all the ones that need to be filled. Hand out the role cards to your team, ideally one to each person including yourself. Role cards are located in Appendix 1 of your manual. Let them choose or recommend a position according to their talents.

It’s recommended that the best communicator in the group take the Message (Content) and A/V position while you, as the leader, take the follow-up one. After you’ve handed out the descriptions, give your team a minute to read through their roles and ask questions if they need clarification. Make sure they know that they’re each responsible for completing their respective roles. You may want to begin planning now, or you may want to start planning individually.

Remember: Each description can be found in Appendix 1 of your manual.

¨ Hosting and Decorations ¨ Advertising ¨ Food and Snacks ¨ Message (Content) and

A/V ¨ Games and Prizes ¨ Follow-up and Bible

Study

TEAM ROLES

ACTION STEPS

7>Follow-up and Bible Study Coordinator

¨ Are the follow-up cards ready? ¨ Has the first lesson been prepared?

Step 3: Keep Track of Your TeamAs you meet up weekly to pray and to plan, make sure to check up on each of your team members to see if they’re having any issues. Here are some key areas for you to check up on.


¨ What’s the plan? ¨ Will the food be provided in partnership

with a local church?

Hosting and Decorations Coordinator

¨ Have they booked a time and location? ¨ How are the decorations coming

along?

Advertising Coordinator

¨ Are posters and flyers ready? ¨ How and when will they hand out flyers

and invite people?


¨ Who will be the Welcome Greeter? ¨ Who will be the Holiday Experience

Teller? ¨ Who will be the Testimony Giver? ¨ Have they secured the equipment

needed to play music, video, etc.?


¨ What will they use for games? ¨ What will they use for prizes?

Step 4: The PartyYou’ve made it to the day of the event! Here’s a basic layout of how the party can be run. Look it over and make any appropriate changes.

Valentine's Day Party Program

Optional—stay and decorate cookies, socialize, sing more songs, etc.

Arrival and welcome• e.g. snacks and name tags

Icebreaker game• e.g. People Bingo

What is Valentine's Day? discussion• (see slide)

My Canadian Valentine's Day experience• (see slide)

Testimony• How I found true love in Jesus

Game 2• e.g. He said, she said

Open question time and snacksFill out Follow Up Response CardsParting gift and goodbye

>

9

Step 5: Follow up

It’s absolutely vital to see the follow-up process as the climax of the Faith Adventure, not the Party. It’s during the follow-up that students are most likely to put their faith in Jesus. Coming to believe in Jesus is a process, and that’s precisely why we want to host the party—to begin a follow-up process with spiritually interested students by helping them discover Jesus. Therefore, don’t burn yourself and your team out at the event. Save your energy and focus for this critical fourth quarter of the Faith Adventure.

It's during the follow-up that students are most likely to put their faith in Jesus.>

11

The people matter the most!>

Make it festive!>

13

Appendix 1: The Roles

> Decorations and Creating the Right Atmosphere

Once you’ve got the location, it’s also your job to make it ready for a party. This includes decorating the room and creating a great atmosphere.Make a playlist of your favourite songs that correspond to the season.Talk to the Message (Content) and A/V coordinator to make sure you’ll have speakers. (Music goes a long way.)Have a budget for how much you want to spend on decorations. See if you can borrow certain items from a friend or your local church. If you borrow things, be sure to keep track of whom you borrowed it from and return it in the same condition.Make sure to visit the room in advance, and plan out what you need to make the room feel festive and comfortable.You are responsible for making sure the room is cleaned up after the party too.Make sure that moved furniture is returned to its proper place, plates are washed anddecorations, food, garbage, etc. are cleaned up.Before the party, arrange for others to help you.

As the host, it’s your job to find a time and location. Booking a room needs to be the first thing that’s done because very little can start before that’s finalized. Here are some things to consider.

> Choose a Good Location

International students usually don’t own a car, so choose a location on or near campus or provide transportation. The location should be easy to find. Another option is meeting in a well-known location and go to the room together. But if you choose the second option, you may want to have a friend wait and direct anyone who is late.

> Choose a Convenient Date and Time

Find out when international students are free in your area. Public transportation to their homes may stop in the evening. Though they have less class near exam time, they may feel pressure to study.

Hosting and Decorations Coordinator

>>

Your role is to motivate your team to invite as many international students as possible and provide them with the resources to do so. There are several ways to promote the event, the best of which is personal invitation. When you invite one friend, make sure to remind them to invite all of their friends too. International students probably know more international students than you oryour team.

Other useful methods include putting up posters, handing out flyers, making announcements in the classrooms of international students, advertising on Facebook, and contacting internationalstudent clubs or groups on your campus.

Attached with your package is a sample poster. Simply add a time and place to the poster and flyers and then send them off to print.

Your role is to mobilize volunteers to provide the food and snacks for the event, which is very important. Many international students struggle financially to stay afloat. If they live with otherinternational students or on campus, they rarely get the chance to eat homemade food. Therefore, a homemade meal can be a huge blessing to them. If this isn’t possible, some good snacks and appetizers should suffice.

¨ Brainstorm foods you want (full meal or snack).

¨ Ask volunteers to provide or help obtain different dishes.

¨ Get volunteers from your church, team or even party attendees who enjoy cooking to help you.

¨ Be conscious of food allergies and other food related issues that may be relevant to your party.

¨ Get dishes, cutlery and napkins (disposable or reusable) along with serving utensils if needed.

¨ Have some garbage bags around to help with the clean-up process.

¨ Make sure plates, dishes and utensils are returned to their original owners.

¨ Make posters and flyers, adding dates and times.

¨ Print them. ¨ Get them to your team. ¨ Arrange times to put up

posters and hand out flyers.

ACTION STEPS

ACTION STEPS


AdvertisingCoordinator

15

Food brings people together!>


Your role is to make sure you have the right equipment set up for the party and to run the program during the event.

Find people to fill the following roles.

> Welcome Greeters Greet everyone, introduce them to others, make everyone feel welcome and stand by the door as people come in.

When planning... ¨ What equipment will you need? ¨ How big is the room? ¨ Will you need a microphone? ¨ How many microphones will you need? ¨ What equipment will you need to connect

the microphones to the speakers? ¨ Are there enough plugs for your equipment,

or will you need extension cords or power bars? Is there any risk of someone tripping on a cord?

> Holiday Experience Teller

For 5–10 minutes have somebody talk about his or her family traditions and the ways in whichhe or she celebrate Valentine's Day. A sample talk is included in Appendix 2. Remind the person to speak slowly and clearly.> Testimony Giver

Have somebody provide a five-minute testimony on how Jesus has impacted his or her life. A sample transition from the holiday to the message of the gospel is included in Appendix 2.

Note: Give them a copy of the sample talks in advance so they have time to prepare what theywant to say. If at all possible, have them meet with you before the event to practice their talk with you. This will help them get comfortable and provide you with a chance to offer helpful suggestions.

If there is video... ¨ What equipment and cords will you need

to play the video? ¨ What form is the video in? ¨ If it is streamed from the Internet, is the

connection reliable at the party location? ¨ Have you checked to see if the video will

run on the equipment you have set up?

If there is music... ¨ Does the room already have speakers, or

do you need to set some up? ¨ What device will the music play from? ¨ How will it connect to the speakers?

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT>

17

People Bingo (10 min.)

Example Bingo card


Your role is to prepare and run two to three games at the party and have prizes and gifts prepared for party attendees. Prepare a budget ahead of time for prizes and gifts. Be conscious of allergies and food-related issues if giving away food. Here are some ideas to help you get started.

Limbo (10 min.)

Ingredients• Music• Limbo Stick

To Play• Play some fun music while your friends

stand in line waiting to bend backwards low enough to fit under the limbo stick, broom handle, yardstick, etc.

• The person who gets low enough without touching the floor wins. If someone falls they are disqualified.

Gift ideas • chocolate• flowers• valentine's cards

Follow-up is how Faith Adventures start!>

Follow-up and Bible Study CoordinatorYour role is to make sure the follow-up every international student who attended the event is efficiently and timely executed. Follow-up is the heart of the faith adventure.

Take a minute now to familiarize yourself with three things:

¨ The Follow Up Guide ¨ The Follow Up Response Cards ¨ The Foundations for Faith study

Make sure to print and bring enough response cards to the party so that each guest can have one. Sample response cards are attached with the Faith Adventure package. At the end of the party collect the response cards and read them over as soon as possible. It will be helpful for meeting with students later if you record things you would like to remember about them (e.g. their major, year, country of origin, personal interests, questions, etc).

Prior to the event, ensure your team has read the Follow Up Guide provided.

As you prepare, ensure you have enough response cards so that each guest can have one. At the end of the party, collect the response cards and review them. As a team, record things

you would like to remember about your guests (e.g. their major, year, country of origin, personal interests, questions, etc.).

After gathering all of the response cards, input this information into a spreadsheet. Assign a member of your team to each guest who requested follow-up. If one of your team members Shelly spent a lot of time talking with Mona from Singapore, and Mona wrote on her response card that she would like to talk with someone about what she heard at the party, then Shelly would be a good person to follow-up with Mona.

Time is of the essence when it comes to a follow-up. Your guests may quickly forget their interest in watching the Jesus film, joining a Bible study or asking questions about a relationship with Jesus. A good rule of thumb is to contact them within 24 hours to set up your first meeting.

*For more detailed instructions please consult the Follow Up Guide.

19

Here is the suggested two-part talk for your Valentine's Day outreach. Each part can be doneby the same or a different person. Speakers will need to fill in their own experiences so takeplenty of time before the party to think about what you would like to share. Remember the wholepoint of the party is for international students to hear the gospel so make sure the message isclearly and lovingly communicated. Take time to pray as you prepare, and before you speak,ask God to speak His message to international students through you.

The gospel is a very deep and rich message, and it takes more than a lifetime to fully graspall aspects. Therefore, we will focus on a specific theme of the gospel in each holiday’s two-part, five-minute talk. Different cultures find certain aspects of the gospel more meaningful.

Appendix 2: Talk Notes

Intro

For example, those of us from a Western culture tend to focus on right vs. wrong, and how Christ paid (in a cosmic legal sense) for our punishment and put us in right standing before God. Eastern cultures tend to identify more with honour vs. shame. Christ reached out to us in our shame and has endowed us with great honour, not because of what we have done, but because He chose us to be His people.

Make yourself familiar with the content prior to the event, and feel free to adapt the focus in a way that you think will connect with your audience the best. Remember to speak slowly and clearly so that those learning English can understand.

>

Valentine's Day is about relationships and about love. On this day, couples who love each other spend time together and sometimes give gifts like flowers or chocolate and send each other cards called valentines. In school, children exchange valentines with their classmates. Valentine's Day is actually a very old holiday. In 496, the Catholic Church in Europe began to recognize the courage and faith of people who were killed because of their religion. Several Christians named Valentine were killed hundreds of years before the celebration even began, and it is in their memory that the feast of St. Valentine was started up. Over the years the holiday of St. Valentine has taken on a romantic meaning, and today it celebrates relationships of love and romance.

[Describe a romantic date you have been on or would like to be on to celebrate Valentine’s Day. Also, describe memories of your favourite valentine card or gift you have received.]

Part 1 Describe your personal experience of Valentine's Day (10 min.)

21

During the discussion we talked about a relationship we would like to celebrate. There are different kinds of love. There is the romantic love that exists between a husband and wife, and then there is a different kind of love that exists between a mother and her child. It is wonderful to have an opportunity to celebrate love, and the many different relationships we have in our life. It is so wonderful to have someone to share our life with. When we are happy, we know someone is happy with us, and when we are hurt, someone is sad with us.The Bible tells us that God loves all people. God loves you and me and even the person you find it impossible to love. Yet there is a brokenness in the world, and especially in my relationships, that separate me from love. I have made choices that hurt people around me and damaged our relationship.

[Give an example of a relationship that was damaged by a choice you made, like disobeying your mother’s instructions to be home by a certain time. You broke her trust by disobeying her.]

Similarly, our relationship with God is broken. When we choose to hurt others, God is upset because of His love for them. Though this has hurt our relationship with God, He wants to fix our relationship (2 Corinthians 5:19). He sent Jesus to be a mediator between Him and us. When two people disagree, sometimes they need someone who can understand both sides to help them find a solution. Usually a mediator helps the two sides communicate clearly. Jesus, who is God, reached out on God’s behalf and told us that God loves us and wants a relationship with us (John 6:38-40, 17:3). Jesus also became a man; therefore, He could fully understand both sides.

Part 2 Describe your relationship with God (5 min.)

Then Jesus took on Himself all of the hurt, anger and punishment for our bad choices when He died on the cross, then rose back to life. The Bible says, “For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ” (NLT, 2 Corinthians 5:21). Now Jesus is waiting for each one of us to respond to God’s love. We must decide for ourselves if we will accept this gift and get to know Him more deeply.

[Talk about your relationship with God, and how it has made a difference in your life.]

Relationships require trust. You have the choice to trust that Jesus is the only way you can fix your relationship with God. You can express your desire to know God and your trust in Jesus through prayer, which is just how you talk to God. In your own words, you can tell Jesus that you trust Him, that you are sorry for choosing to hurt others and God and that you want to know God and experience His love. Tell Him that you know that you cannot fix your relationship with God on your own, but that Jesus has made it possible. Then thank God for your new relationship with Him. Just like any other relationship, you need to spend time with God doing different things. Take time to read the Bible, pray, go to church and talk to others about what you learn about God. I am so grateful to God for loving me and restoring my relationship with Him.

If you would like to have a relationship with God, to pray that prayer or have any other questions, I would love to talk to you. Please come talk to me today or write on your comment card that you would like to talk about this.

VALENTINE'S DAY - Power to Change Ministries

Documents

Transcript of VALENTINE'S DAY - Power to Change Ministries