Phoenix 2012 Bible Studies: Introduction

We offer the following Bible studies to you as tools to help prepare your group for the gathering in Phoenix 2013. The theme of convention is “Citizens of God’s Kingdom: Healed in Hope.” Each Bible study uses one of the convention’s chosen Bible passages to deepen our understanding of this theme. Each week, there is also a hands-on activity that explores a certain aspect of the theme, as well as a weekly “challenge” that allows the youth to explore these ideas on their own between meetings.

Of course, these are meant only as helpful tools, and you need not follow every detail. Some discussions and activities may work better for some groups than others, so feel free to use portions of these Bible studies, or mix them together in different ways. Depending on the maturity of your group, the youth themselves may have ideas that take the theme in a different direction. The goal is really to get us started thinking about the themes that will appear at convention so that we can jump into the experience at Phoenix.

As you prepare for this important event, remember that you are joining youth groups and congregations across the country, reading the same texts and thinking about the same themes. It’s often easy to imagine that our churches exist as isolated units, and one of the great things about convention is that it shows us that we are not alone. In fact, we are connected in a network of relationships that stretches across the country and around the world. We are all citizens of God’s kingdom!

Thank you for the important role you play in making this convention a significant experience in the spiritual lives of our youth! As sponsors, you provide crucial support, and we appreciate the investment of time and energy that you put into this powerful, but intense, week. We trust that the experience will be a rewarding one for you as well as for your youth group!

Justin Heinzekehr, PhD student, Claremont School of Theology Claremont, Calif., 2013 Phoenix 2012 Bible Study #1: Citizens of Heaven

Preparation:  Print several copies of Appendix 1: Citizens’ Rights and Responsibilities.

Warm Up:  What comes to mind when you think of the city of Phoenix? For example: How many miles away is it from you? What’s the weather like compared to your hometown? What kinds of food might you eat in Phoenix? Has anyone ever been to Phoenix before? Etc. Some fun facts about Phoenix: - It’s the 6th most populous city in the U.S., and the most populous capital city, with a population of about 1.5 million people. - Phoenix is one of the fastest-growing U.S. cities – in 1950 it ranked only 99th in population. - Average summer temperatures are some of the hottest of any major U.S. city. Temperatures exceed 100 degrees for about 110 days a year. - It was founded in the 1860s by a Confederate veteran of the Civil War. - The area of Phoenix had been settled and irrigated from 700-1400 AD, but was later abandoned. The name “Phoenix” symbolizes a new city rising from the ruins of an ancient civilization, like the mythical bird that burns up and is reborn from its ashes.  What are you most looking forward to about the convention in Phoenix? What kinds of things do you expect to do/experience at convention this summer?  When have you had to prepare for something? (a race, a test, a concert, etc.) What kinds of things did you have to do to get ready for these things? What kind of preparation do you think it takes to get ready for a church convention?

Bible Study: Break into small groups and read the texts for this week: Philippians 3:17-21 and Psalm 24:1. Discuss the following:  What would it mean to have citizenship in heaven?  Who are the “enemies of the cross of Christ” in verse 18? What kinds of things are important to these people?  What kind of “earthly things” might distract us?  Based on last week’s Bible passage (Eph. 2:11-22), who is eligible for citizenship in heaven?  According to Paul, how does one prepare for citizenship in heaven (verse 17)? How is this different than the way that people prepare for citizenship in the United States or other countries?  Who do you know that you would look to as a model for being a good citizen of heaven?

Activity: Remaining in your small groups, distribute copies of Appendix 1 and read them over. Talk for a few minutes about what these rights and responsibilities really mean. Explain anything that seems unclear or confusing.

Read the following Bible passages – have the youth read them out loud.  John 3:16-17  Matthew 5:21-26  Romans 13:1-7  James 2:1-5  Galatians 5:22-23  Matthew 5:43-48  Ephesians 1:3-14

Based on these passages and on their own ideas, have the youth brainstorm a list of the “rights and responsibilities” of a citizen of heaven. After it seems like most groups have a decent list, come together and share your list with the whole group. It may be helpful to create a new list on a large sheet of paper.

Compare this list with the list from the USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Service). What things appear on both lists? Are there things on one list that don’t appear on the other? Are there things on one list that conflict with the other list? If so, how do you decide how to prioritize the two? Are there times when you choose one over the other, and why?

Weekly Challenge: Each week, we’ll close the bible study with a chance for the youth group to pick a “challenge” for the week – something concrete that they all agree to do in order to prepare for Phoenix. This week, come up with something that youth could do to relate to suffering and hope. It’s probably best if the idea comes from youth themselves, but here are some ideas to start you off:  Go to http://www.800citizen.org/us_citizenship_test/ and complete a sample test for United States citizenship. This is the test that people who aren’t born in this country must take in order to become citizens. See how many of the answers you know. Would you pass a citizenship exam?  Interview an older member of your congregation and ask them how they have become “good citizens” of God’s kingdom. What kinds of things do they do to follow the call of Jesus? What are the most important ways that they keep up their connection to God? What are the distractions that they face in their daily lives?

Closing prayer: God, teach us how to become good citizens of your kingdom. Thank you for your acceptance of each of us even when we make mistakes. Help us to accept others as brothers and sisters in your kingdom, just as you have invited us to become citizens. Amen. Phoenix 2012 Bible Study #2: Suffering and Hope

Preparation:  Bring in copies of several different newspapers for the activity (see below), and something to put on the wall (large piece of paper, posterboard, etc.) so that you can tape newspaper clippings on it.

Warm Up:  Review the challenge from last week. Were you able to complete it? Did this practice make you think about citizenship differently?  What comes to mind when you think of suffering? Are there people who seem to suffer more than others?  How does being a Christian affect the way you deal with suffering?

Bible Study: Break into small groups and read the text for this week: Romans 5:1-5. Discuss the following:  What do you know about Paul? Why is he an important character in the Bible?  What kinds of sufferings did Paul go through in his life? (Read 2 Corinthians 11:24-29 if necessary: Paul was beaten, stoned, shipwrecked, hungry and thirsty, homeless, imprisoned, etc.)  In light of what you know about Paul, what strikes you about this passage?  Paul talks a lot about suffering here. What kind of suffering would you “boast” about? What other kinds of suffering do you see in our world today?  How does Paul respond to his own suffering? Is this the way you would react if you were in Paul’s place?  Have you grown in any way through experiences of suffering? What character traits have these experiences helped to develop?

Activity: Suffering and Hope in the Newspaper Either individually or in groups, have the youth look through newspapers and cut out stories that show some kind of suffering. As they cut these stories out, have them tape the stories up on a posterboard or a large piece of paper on the wall. After a certain amount of time, or when it looks like the wall is getting full, take some time to reflect together on the stories that you’ve found. Are there any common themes? How did it feel to see all these stories – overwhelming, frightening?

Then, have the youth look through the newspapers a second time, this time looking for stories that illustrate perseverance or hope. Put these up beside the stories of suffering. Did you find more stories about suffering or about hope? How are people responding to suffering in a way that brings hope instead of despair? How might God be asking you to respond? Are there things that you could be involved in as a youth group or as individuals?

Weekly Challenge: Here is a list of ideas for this week (but feel free to use others):  Watch the evening news one day and make a list of the situations and people that seem to be experiencing suffering. Pray for these people at least once a day for the next three days.  Look at the description of the prayer walk on the MC USA convention website . In Phoenix, we will be asking people to walk through the city past places of suffering and hope, and asking them to pray while they pass by. Read over the descriptions of each location on the walk. Think about places in your own neighborhood that you might walk past if you were taking a prayer walk in your city. If you have an extra evening, compile these suggestions and take the group on an actual walk past these places.  Volunteer one hour this week to help someone in need. This could be with an organization, or doing yardwork for a neighbor or family member.

Closing prayer: God, help to open our eyes to places of suffering and hope around us. Help us not to be overwhelmed, but pour your love into our hearts so that we can respond to hardship with compassion and endurance. Amen. Phoenix 2012 Bible Study #3: The Walls that Divide

Preparation:  For the activity, you’ll need small stickers of at least three different colors and colored construction paper.

Warm Up:  Review the challenge from last week. Were you able to complete it? How did this practice help prepare you to respond with hope to suffering?  What kinds of things separate groups of people from one another? How do you know that you are part of one culture, class, or race and not another?  Have you ever experienced a time when differences in language or culture made you feel uncomfortable?

Bible Study: Break into small groups and read the text for this week: Ephesians 2:11-22. Discuss the following:  What two groups is Paul talking about in this passage?  What does Paul mean when he uses terms like “citizens” and “foreigners?”  How does Christ change the relationship between these two groups?  What are some examples of people who are separated today? What are the reasons that they are separated?  In verse 14, Paul is talking about a “wall of hostility” as a metaphor, but throughout history there have been actual walls built to keep certain people out. Can you think of examples? Why did people feel the need to build these walls? (walls of Jericho, Great Wall of China, Berlin Wall, Israel-Palestine wall, etc.)

Activity:1 Divide the youth into at least three groups, each of which will represent a unique “culture” (e.g., Red culture, Green culture, Blue culture). Give each person a sticker of that color to wear on their shirt (or some other way to identify each person as a member of a “culture”).

Assign each group a cultural practice (you can invent more than these if you need more groups):  The Red people distribute colorful paper to people they have just met.  Men of the Green group will not speak to a woman unless she addresses him first. Women of the Green group will interrupt a man if he is talking and she has something to say.  The Blue people cover their mouths with a piece of paper when speaking.

Give each group the reasoning behind their own cultural practice, but not the reasoning behind the practice of the other groups:  The Red people distribute colorful paper to spread a little joy and happiness into the world.

1 This activity is adapted from an exercise written by the Immigration History Research Center at the University of Minnesota. http://www.ihrc.umn.edu/educators/pdf/NaciremaExercises.pdf [activate hyperlink]  The Green culture is matriarchal (women are in charge). Men will not speak directly to a woman due to respect for her position in society. Women assume that it is their right to speak even if a man is currently talking.  In the Blue culture, to show your teeth is a sign of anger. It is common courtesy in the Blue culture to hide teeth when speaking to someone.

Let the groups mingle with one another and act out their cultural practices. Tell each youth to strike up as many conversations with people of other cultures as possible within a certain timeframe.

After the time is up, ask the youth how they perceived the other groups. Did they think that the Red culture was strange? Did they think the Green culture was snobbish or rude? Did they think that the Blue culture was modest?

Ask the youth why they thought the other groups behaved as they did. Try to speculate about the reasoning behind these practices.

Finally, let the youth tell each other what the actual reasoning was behind their practices. Were any of the speculations correct? Were your initial impressions accurate? How does knowing the actual reasons behind a practice change your impression of the other cultures? What do you think would seem strange about your own culture to someone coming from another culture?

Weekly Challenge: Here is a list of ideas for this week (but feel free to use others):  Take an hour or two this week to learn about one tradition or practice from another culture that you didn’t know much about before. Share what you learned with the group next week.  Identify five different walls or fences in your neighborhood or city and think about who built them and why. Is the wall there to create privacy, to keep people from crossing it, to look nice, etc.?  Choose a Sunday morning and take the youth group to visit a congregation that worships in another language or uses a worship style different from your congregation.

Closing prayer: God, we thank you for your promise to transform strangers into friends. Help us to reach across the barriers that divide us. Be with us even when we are afraid or insecure, so that we can follow you in your work of breaking down walls. Amen. Phoenix 2012 Bible Study #4: Post-Convention

Debriefing Take some time to talk about what the experience of convention meant to the youth, individually and as a group. You may use the following questions as guides, or let the conversation move wherever there is the most energy.

1. What did you learn about yourself during the week of convention? 2. What did you learn about your youth group? 3. What did you learn about the wider church? 4. What experiences are going to stick with you? Are there things that you think you’ll remember, say, five years from now? 5. What stories would you tell to communicate your experience in Phoenix? 6. What surprised you the most about convention? 7. Who was your favorite speaker, and what was the thing that stuck out the most about what they said? 8. What was the most challenging thing about the week of convention? How did you grow because of this experience? 9. What will you bring back with you from convention, in a spiritual sense? 10. What new people did you meet at convention? 11. What was your favorite seminar? What was the topic and why was it important to you? 12. What was your favorite part of the worship services? 13. Which of the booths were most interesting to you and why? 14. If your group went on a service assignment, what did you learn from this experience? Would there be ways of engaging in similar work in your own town? 15. What did you learn about the city of Phoenix? 16. What did you learn about what it means to be a member of Mennonite Church USA? 17. How would you explain convention to someone who has never gone and is asking you why they should?

Bible Study Re-read Ephesians 2:11-22.

1. How does your experience at convention change the way you hear this passage? 2. What does “citizenship” mean to you now after your time in Phoenix? 3. How will you become a “dwelling place for God” now that you are back? Is there anything that you learned from Phoenix that would help you to do this? 4. What different groups within the church need to be reconciled to one another? Are there ways that you can contribute to this reconciliation? 5. How did you see the peace of Christ at work during convention?

Closing prayer God, we thank you for being with us during our trip to Phoenix. We thank you for the opportunity for worship, fellowship and service with so many other people across the church. Continue to be close to us as we return to our own congregation and community. Help us support one another in our quest to live as citizens of God’s kingdom. Amen. Appendix 1: List of Citizens’ Rights and Responsibilities

Rights Responsibilities

 Freedom to express yourself.  Support and defend the Constitution.  Freedom to worship as you wish.  Stay informed of the issues affecting your  Right to a prompt, fair trial by jury. community.  Right to vote in elections for public  Participate in the democratic process. officials.  Respect and obey federal, state, and local  Right to apply for federal laws. employment requiring U.S.  Respect the rights, beliefs, and opinions of citizenship. others.  Right to run for elected office.  Participate in your local community.  Freedom to pursue “life, liberty,  Pay income and other taxes honestly, and on and the pursuit of happiness.” time, to federal, state, and local authorities.  Serve on a jury when called upon.  Defend the country if the need should arise.

Source: http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.749cabd81f5ffc8fba713d10526e0aa0/? vgnextoid=39d2df6bdd42a210VgnVCM100000b92ca60aRCRD&vgnextchannel=39d2df6bdd42 a210VgnVCM100000b92ca60aRCRD