------h_ CALENDAR

January 29 Kick Off

February 05 Open House 12 D-Groups + Leader Dinner 19 D-Groups 26D-Groups

March 04 D-Groups + Leader Dinner 11 D-Groups 18 D-Groups 25 D-Groups

April 01 D-Groups 08 NO D-Groups 15 D-Groups + Incoming Freshman Dinner 22 D-Groups 29 D-Groups + Senior Dinner

May 06 D-Groups + Leader Dinner 13 Leader Choice Night TRAINING

General D-Groups Schedule: 6:14 pm - Leader Meeting in Room 143 6:30 pm - Programmed Content (Announcements, Worship, Message) 7:20 pm - Transition to Groups *Take Attendance 8:25 pm - Middle School to Youth and Sports Center 8:30 pm - Dismiss *Report Any Red Flag Activity to Staff

Important Information: D-Groups Hotline: 818.722.8468 shepherdyouth.com/resources shepherdchurch.com/dgroupstool

8 GLASS HOUSE AGREEMENT

As Christian leaders who are in places of responsibility in the church, we are required to be examples in faith, conduct, and purity. We have an obligation, when presenting Christ to students, to live godly lives and be “above reproach,” acknowledging the “glass house” we live in.

As a D-Group Leader we ask that you… Have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and been baptized.

Have been at Shepherd Church for at least 6 months and attend services each week on campus.

Commit to actively pursuing God through regularly practicing spiritual disciplines and participating in community (preferably through LifeGroups).

Pursue physical, emotional, and spiritual purity. This includes things like fleeing from sexual immorality (whether married or single), not forming inappropriate or unhealthy emotional relationships, and not viewing pornographic or explicit material.

Use extreme caution when it comes to alcohol, not consuming alcohol to the point of it being illegal for you to drive yourself home, never drink if not of legal age, and refrain from posting pictures of alcoholic beverages.

Use extreme caution with all legal drugs, being careful not to abuse any prescription medication, vapes, or tobacco related product and abstain from narcotics.

Not have been arrested or convicted for any legal matter in the last 5 years.

Maintain proper speech habits and a modest and pure appearance both in person and on social media platforms (avoiding profanity, gossip, and use of God’s name in vain, and any and all posts of a sexual nature).

Use extreme caution when interacting with students. Make sure to have parent or guardian consent when communicating or meeting with a student. Never minister to a student one-on-one in a non-public setting or drive home a student without going through the proper channels. Always be quick to report any issue to Shepherd Youth Staff.

Commit to serving with D-Groups for a minimum of 3 semesters and are able to attend each week missing no more than 2 Wednesdays in a semester.

SIGNATURE:

9 JAN29 - LESSON01

Creation

Let’s Study It Before You Arrive Read Chapter 1 of Core52 (Pages 5-11).

Watch Shepherd Youth Weekend Message.

Let’s Break the Ice 5 minutes Check the back of this book for an activity that best suits your group!

Let’s Talk About It: Who Created the World? 10-15 minutes Different people have different opinions, but everyone lands on the fact that there had to have been an original cause for the world around us. As Christians, we teach that the original cause was an unmatched intelligent designer, Yahweh God. Let’s talk about that!

What’s the most complex piece of technology you can think of?

It’s easy to think of technology as complex, but sometimes we forget how complex the natural world is. Watch the video about DNA you’ll find at:shepherdyouth.com/lesson1

What are other examples of complex design in the natural world?

Do you think that the complex design of the world points to an intelligent creator?

Read Genesis 1:1-2 and Core52 (Page 5- 3 paragraphs starting with “Who Created This World?”)

What does your school teach about creation?

Even if evolution were to be true, does that disqualify God as the intelligent creator of the world?

Do the teachings of Christianity line up with what you believe about creation? 10 Let’s Talk About It: Why Did God Create This World? 10-15 minutes Have you ever asked yourself the age old question, “Why am I here?” If so, you’re in good company. What was God up to when He created the world? Was he lonely or even bored? Let’s take a look at what some probable answers might be.

Share something you have created and how you feel about it. (MineCraft, Sports Play, Art, etc.)

Why do you create things? (It’s fun, you want to solve a problem, you want others to enjoy it, etc.)

Read Core52 (Page 8- 2 paragraphs starting with “Why did God create this world?”)

The fact that God created us for His glory might seem a little confusing at first, but when we bring God glory we experience the fullness of what we were created for: love, joy, peace, goodness, etc.

Take the next few minutes and write down ways you bring God glory in the following areas and then share them with the group (give specific answers that are true for you right now): 1. School (keep locker clean, respect teachers, etc) 2. Relationships/ Family and Friends (help parents/guardians with chores, take time to listen to friends, responsible in a dating relationship, etc) 3. Extra Curricular Activities (work hard, loyal, create things that showcase God’s beauty, etc) Let’s Talk About It: Taking Care of Creation 10 minutes Creation is a gift from God but often we dismiss taking care of that gift. Let’s dive into why that might be a problem.

Is there anything in nature that you would fight to protect? (Animals, Ocean, National Park, etc.) ...

11 LESSON01

Core52 (Page 9- 1 paragraph starting with “Here’s where it gets most majestic.”)

Do you think humankind has done a good job at managing God’s creation?

What would be ironic about a person of deep faith throwing trash out of their window or harming creation in some way?

Core52 (Page 6/7- 1 paragraph starting with “There’s a telltale sign” bottom of page)

What’s one practical way to help the environment around you this week (things you’ll actually do).

Let’s Pray About It 5-10 minutes Check the back of your booklet for an activity.

12 ShepherdYouth.com