Gathering Time/Introduction: (Coach)

1. The Coach leads the opening routine. Name tags are available. The sexes are combined into one class for high school and one class for middle school. (see the schedule in the overview).

2. Explain and ask for the offering.

3. Ask any youth who invited a friend to attend Sunday School with them to introduce their friends to the rest of the class.

4. Introduce the Guide, who leads the workshop lesson.

Workshop Lesson Procedure: (Guide takes over from here)

Scripture

1. Hand out copies of Isaiah 65:17-25 (attached) and ask for a volunteer to read the scripture. Refer back to the flip charts created in the previous week and review the idea of peace as physical, emotional, spiritual, social, economic, and political wholeness. You will have 2 sets. One set made by the girls and one set made by the boys.

2. Tell the youth that this week we are going to focus on wholeness in our social lives, especially in the spaces that we share with friends: school, extracurricular activities, neighborhood spaces (such as ball parks and malls).

3. Remind the youth of the prophet’s role as visionary: someone who holds up before the people of God a vision of God’s intentions for the world. Introduce also another of the roles of prophets (refer to Bible Study notes):

“Prophet” is the preferred title for someone who serves as a channel of communication between God and the people of God.

In the case of Isaiah 65, the prophet is communicating promises that God has made to the people of Israel.

4. Divide the class into 7 groups (try to mix the ages of the youth in the groups, but let those who brought friends with them stay with their guests). Assign one verse from verses 18-24 to each group and ask each group to answer the following questions:

· What is the promise being made in this verse?

· In what ways have you seen this promise fulfilled in your school?

· In what ways has it not been fulfilled?

5. Give the groups about 5 minutes to answer these questions, then bring everyone back together. Record their answers for each verse on flipchart paper.

Mural

1. Make a list of spaces and places that kids hang out. Ideas may include: a friend’s home, school, mall, movie theater, ball park, soccer field, etc. Set this list aside for later.

2. Create a cultural mural. Start by asking questions about how society and culture view these places and kids’ activities. What does the media say about popularity? Who is popular? What does society admire in a friend? What are popular activities? Where do you hang out? How might these activities and places be in conflict with God?

3. Brainstorm these ideas on flip chart paper. Record, without filtering, whatever the kids say about what popularity, peer pressure, how they spend their recreational time? Spend only about 5 minutes on this to get everyone thinking.

4. Distribute a collection of magazines. Ask the youth to look through the magazines and look for pictures that represent the cultural demands on them today. Focus on popular images of a social life, popularity and activities. There will be other opportunities in the weeks to come to explore other aspects of society. Roughly cut out the pictures and be ready with glue stick to post on the appropriate section of mural paper. (10 minutes) Note: Later we will join the high school and middle school mural sections together.

5. What does God say? Review some of the scripture and bible verses that describe God’s images for us. Go back to the flip chart paper and review God’s promises.

6. Compare the list describing God’s promised vision with mural images.

Neighborhood

1. Review the list of places that kids hang out. Ask for volunteers to create one of the places on the list. One or two kids may work on a building. Try and get all the buildings or places assigned. Guest friends may make a home for themselves or help with another building.

2. Create your place using glue and boxes, card board or poster board. Use markers, scripture and pictures to decorate your place with ideas and images as God would have it – not as society thinks of it. Decorate your space with any or all of the following:

· Name of it

· Godly attributes of it

· Scripture verses that describe how it could or should be

· Magazine pictures that indicate God’s vision for it

· Images or words of how it contributes to peace (the complete meaning of peace)

1. Place each building on a section of foam board that will eventually be joined with others to create an entire town.

Wrap-up:

1. Ask students to tidy up. Put away enough of the paper and glue and paint to help refocus the youth’s attention.

2. Give each youth an opportunity to share the building he or she has built. Encourage each student to describe some of the things they have used to decorate their building and why they chose their particular images or words.

3. Hand out index cards and give the youth a few minutes to write a brief prayer that addresses thanksgivings, or hurts, or confessions for the spaces they have built today. Encourage them to refer to issues raised in the scripture, the mural, or their buildings. Tell the youth that these cards will be collected and their prayers incorporated into a closing worship at the end of this unit. They are not required to put their names on their cards.

Closing (Coach):

1. Announce that the kids are to invite a family member to participate in the class next Everyone and the town will be assembled in the fellowship hall.

2. The Coach conducts the closing prayer time. Invite any youth who wish to share the prayers they wrote in the closing prayer time.

3. Collect the index cards and the scripture copies (for use in later weeks).

4. Close/lock the door and turn off the lights.

Guide preparation in advance:

1. Check out your room setup and supplies.

2. Memory verse written on the board or in a prominent place.

3. Supplies: see list in overview section.

4. Precut house forms from poster board. Poster board and boxes in various sizes for buildings: cereal, gift boxes, half gallon or liter milk/juice containers, etc.

5. Prepare flip chart paper for discussion of aspects of peace in Isaiah discussion.

6. Write prompts on flip chart paper for writing index card prayers

7. Post side by side, the girls and guy separate murals made last week.

8. Mural paper taped to the wall with the caption: What is the worldly image of places I go with my friends?