Another Activated-Family spiel

This is an alternative to the previous version. This is what Family-Activated members give new, potential, unsuspecting Activated members to explain away the horror that is the Family. I like the part that says,

"The focus of this class is introducing The Family as it is today, without delving into the Family’s history and the controversies. Concentrate on the present..."

What do they have to hide?



Optional Preparatory meeting #4b
WELCOME TO THE FAMILY
(Alternative 2: Non-video version)
THEME
Introducing The Family. We are a worldwide Christian fellowship dedicated to preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all throughout the world. All Family members have received Jesus as their personal Savior and have been baptized with the Holy Spirit. Each member believes that they are called by the Lord to serve Him as disciples. The course the attendants will be offered is based on the Bible and on Family publications.
This is an alternative version of the previous class on “Welcome to the Family,” if you do not have a video available to show.

AIM
To let them know who The Family is in a positive, factual way. We have so much to be proud of! We’re part of a dedicated, innovative Bible-based movement that is improving the lives of millions of people as we help them get to know Jesus as their Savior and as we help them materially through humanitarian and social welfare projects.

ROUNDUP (OUTLINE OF CLASS AND FOCUS POINTS)
n Opening Activity (15 minutes)
Prayer
Ice-breaker (Discussion)
{Optional} Songs

n Activity: INTRODUCING THE FAMILY (60 minutes)
What is The Family?
The goals of The Family
Our communal lifestyle
Working together in harmony, following the Lord’s leading
A life of faith

n Closing activity (15 minutes)
{Optional} Songs
Prayer

GET PREPARED (TEACHER’S TIPS)
n Following are some ideas for how to explain about The Family. You don’t have to share all of these points if you would prefer to talk about something else.
n The focus of this class is introducing The Family as it is today, without delving into the Family’s history and the controversies. Concentrate on the present, letting the Family Activity Reports and pictures of your own local work speak for themselves. “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).
n See the Teacher’s Tips in the previous class for advice about having a Presentation Album and album of Family Activity Reports ready to show.
n It would also be good to have available a few copies of the Statement of Faith if someone has a query about our basic beliefs.
n The color brochure entitled The Family also gives a very good explanation of our life, work and some of our history.
n You should also have on hand some copies of the Introducing the Family Fact Sheet. This includes reference information on where they can find out more. The Fact Sheet includes statistics that you may want to tell them about, to give them an idea of where members of the Family live and how large we are. You can share information from the Fact Sheet whether or not you give them a copy.
n In the notes for this meeting, we do not cover any of the more detailed questions you may be asked about the Family nor the controversies that could arise. Further publications will deal with these subjects.
n Encourage the students to check out the Family on-line at our Web Site: http://www.thefamily.org
n Pray before the class and ask the Lord for anything else that would be helpful for the particular people you are reaching. If you decide to talk about a different aspect of Family life, try to be prepared with a few verses to explain it, so that they can see that your life is based upon the Word.

EXTRA PUBS TO OFFER
r FAR: This month’s Family Activity Reports.
r Video: Family Presentation Video 1 and 2
r {Optional} “Our Statement of Faith”
r {Optional} “Introducing the Family” Fact Sheet



TEXT OF MEETING
OPENING ACTIVITY (15 MINUTES)
8 Prayer
i Short prayer to start your time together.

8 Ice-breaker (Discussion)
_ What were the high points and the low points of your week?

8 {Optional} Songs
¯ Select and sing a few songs from the “Love One Another” Song sheet.

ACTIVITY: INTRODUCING THE FAMILY (60 MINUTES)
8 What is The Family?
We are an international Christian fellowship. We have each been called by the Lord to serve Him as disciples in the Family. Most of our full-time disciples live in communal homes.. Our lives are dedicated to Jesus and helping others.

i For more information and details, you can read to them from the Introducing the Family Fact Sheet.
i You may want to give or show them a Statement of Faith.

8 The goals of The Family

n No. 1: To preach the Gospel, that others would come to know Jesus as their Savior.
We strive to fulfill Christ’s commission to His disciples to “preach the Gospel to every creature” at every opportunity.
Mark 16:15 — And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.”
Matthew 28:19-20 — Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen.
i You can show some of the publications we use in our witnessing, such as posters, tracts, music cassettes, videos, plus of course the Activated series of magazines and books.

n No. 2: To be a living example of the love of Jesus through deeds of caring.
We try to be a living example of the love that we preach, endeavoring to follow the model of Jesus, who described His ministry in these verses:
Luke 4:18-19 — The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; he has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.
We believe that our love for others should be manifest through caring deeds, and for this reason we seek ways to provide comfort and material assistance to the disadvantaged.
Psalm 41:1a — Blessed is he who considers the poor.
James 2:15-16 — If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, "Depart in peace, be warmed and filled," but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?
James 1:27 — Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble.
i You can show some of the pictures of your local “Consider the Poor” projects.
i Also take time to show the Family Activity Reports, which give a wonderful picture of the variety of ways that our members worldwide are putting love into action and making a difference in many people’s lives.

n No. 3: To ensure that each of our children receives a godly upbringing in the best possible environment we can provide.
Psalm 127:3 — Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb is a reward.
Isaiah 54:13 — All your children shall be taught by the LORD, and great shall be the peace of your children.
i You might like to show pictures of your children and their activities.
i If you are home schooling, you may want to explain this.
i You can show some of the materials that the Family has produced in order to help teach and train not only our own children, but also other children, such as Treasure Attic videos, children’s books, etc.

8 Our communal lifestyle

i Read the following verses from the book of Acts and explain briefly how our communal lifestyle is based on the sample of the Early Church, though of course our life is adapted to the 21st century. The lifestyle of the Early Church included sharing the Word, fellowship, prayer, leading a simple life, and telling others (witnessing).
Acts 2:42-47 — And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.
We call our full-time disciples Charter Members, because they choose to abide by the Family’s governing Charter of rights and responsibilities. Charter Family Members live in communities, as the early Christians did, sharing what we have. However, there are also other Family disciples who do not wish to live communally or are unable to for different reasons. We also work together with many Family members who help on a part-time basis to support and assist us in our job of preaching the Gospel.
Our purpose for living communally is so that we can better devote our lives to the service of others. Living and working in cooperation together, pooling our talents and resources, allows us to better manage our day-to-day lives and organize our public ministries. Our children are well cared for, educated and vocationally trained in our communities, while adults have the opportunity to study God’s Word, instruct new believers, and reach out to others in need.

i If available, show pictures of your Home. You may like to talk about who lives there and what each one does.

{Optional} Discussion points
_ Did you ever live in a communal environment, such as a college or army dormitory? What were your experiences?
_ Did you find it easy or difficult to live with people who were not your personal family?

8 Working together in harmony, following the Lord’s leading
n Putting the needs of others before our own
Psalm 133:1 — Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
Galatians 6:2 — Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
Philippians 2:3-4 — Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

n Making decisions through discussion and prayer
Proverbs 11:14 — Where there is no counsel, the people fall; but in the multitude of counselors there is safety.
Psalm 33:11 — The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generations.
Proverbs 19:21 — There are many plans in a man's heart, nevertheless the LORD'S counsel— that will stand.

i You can explain a little how your Home runs and how you arrive at your decisions through prayer and discussion.
i Try to give some examples of how you make decisions, for instance, how the Lord called you to a specific place or ministry.
i If you are asked, “but how do you manage to live and work together harmoniously?”, you can explain that we have a Charter which outlines the rights and responsibilities of members and the rules which govern our lifestyle and communities.

8 A life of faith
We live in a world that is increasingly secularized. The pursuit of material wealth has become the driving force of most people’s lives. In contrast, although we also have material needs, we don’t want to spend the majority of our time in seeking for them. The Lord has called us to devote ourselves to the Him and others. We believe that as long as we are working full-time for Him, living a life based on faith and for the good of others, He will take care of us.
Matthew 6:19-21 – Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Matthew 6:31-33 – Therefore do not worry, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?” … For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
Family disciples are dedicated to full-time service for Jesus, sharing His message of hope, love and redemption with the world. We consider it a blessing and a special calling to be able to serve God and our fellow man in this way, and a worthy work for others to help support, knowing that they in turn will be richly blessed by God.
(Based on some paragraphs in “Our Support” Statement)

i You can show more pictures of your projects and/or of your personal family at this time.
i Also ask the students if they have any questions.

CLOSING ACTIVITY (15 MINUTES)
8 {Optional} Songs
¯ Select and sing several songs from the Inspiration Song Sheet.

8 Prayer
i A general closing prayer. Ask for their prayer requests and show your concern for their needs by praying for them.

END