Download the April/May 2013 Issue of fellowship! magazine


April 2013

1. Before dinner or another family gathering, give everyone a little “homework” by sending them to a computer or iPad to do “research” on the following cities: Hong Kong, Atlanta, GA and Marseille, France. Ask them to come to dinner with 5 “social justice facts” about each city (for example, information on refugees, poverty, rich-poor gap, etc.)
2. During dinner, ask each person to report on their research.
3. Then, talk about the articles on urban ministries on from this month’s fellowship! magazine. (See pages10-16.)
4. If possible, connect some of the research with the issues named in the fellowship! articles.
5. End by praying for the people mentioned in the articles, the CBF field personnel and those they minister to.

• In Evolving in Monkey Town, we meet Christian blogger and author Rachel Held Evans who grew up in the town where the famous Scopes Monkey Trial took place. In this community where fundamentalism was still the norm, Evans learns to ask her own questions about life and faith.
• Download a copy of the Reading Group study guide for April.

May 2013

Around the Table: At Church
 
 

1. During this session, you’re asking members of your church to partner with CBF field personnel and ministry sites by “adopting” them for a month.
2. Before a Wednesday night supper, or some other community meal or event, gather copies of the fellowship! magazine. (These could be the current issue, or old issues). Take single articles about field personnel and ministry sites and tear them out and put them in an envelope with enough copies of the article for each person at the table. (Everyone at the table should have the same article, if possible) Place the envelope(s) in the center of the tables.
3. During the event, tell those present that you’re asking them to partner with CBF field personnel or a CBF ministry site. Encourage them to open the envelope on the table and read the article. 
4. Once everyone has had a chance to read the article(s) at their table, ask them to discuss ways they could partner with the CBF field personnel or a CBF ministry site. Encourage them as a first response to make a list of ways they could pray for CBF field personnel and their ministries.
5. End by encouraging each person present to take the article home and put it on their fridge or display it somewhere so they will remember to partner in prayer.

OPTIONAL: This is a good time to have a conversation as a church about creating a long-term partnership with CBF field personnel or a CBF ministry site. For a great example of this, see the article: “South Carolina church engages in long-term partnership with field personnel, churches in New York” on pg. 20 of this month’s fellowship! magazine.


  
In Reading Groups

• Mountains Beyond Mountains tells the true story of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Harvard educated doctor who chose to work among Haiti’s poor. Farmer’s advances on treating the poor, particularly those with HIV and AIDS, have revolutionized the way medicine is done in the developing world.
• Download a copy of the Reading Group study guide for May.

Download the February/March 2013 issue of fellowship! magazine

February 2013

Loving your neighbor as yourself is one of the two greatest commandments, according to Jesus. However many of us hardly even know our neighbors, much less those who live across town or around the world. Loving your neighbor means making yourself home in your community, taking concern for the well-being and wholeness of all. That's what Cecelia Beck, Jessica and Joshua Hearne, and Maner Tyson will teach us this month!

Learn more about Cecelia Beck: www.thefellowship.info/beck
View pictures of Cecelia: http://www.flickr.com/search/?w=85477161@N00&q=cecelia%20beck
Read about the Cleveland County Potato Project

Learn more about Jessica and Joshua Hearne: www.thefellowship.info/hearne
Explore Grace and Main's website: http://graceandmain.org/

Learn more about Maner Tyson: www.thefellowship.info/tyson
Explore Waterbury Baptist Ministries' website: http://www.waterburybaptistministries.com/

Connect with others concerned about ministering to those in poverty:Poverty and Transformation Mission Community

Order February's video from the CBF Store (posted on 2/4/13)


In Reading Groups

Download a copy of the Reading Group Study Guide for February.


Around the Table: At Church 
 

1. Read the article about Maner Tyson, one of CBF’s field personnel serving in Waterbury, CT, in this issue of fellowship! so you can share about that ministry.
 
2. While eating together, observe that Jesus did a lot of ministry and teaching around the table: dinner at Mary and Martha’s house (John 12:1-8), the Last Supper (Matthew 26:17-30), dinner after the walk to Emmaus (Luke 24:28-35). 

3. Introduce the article on Tyson and Waterbury Baptist Ministries, focusing on paragraph six about the monthly Breakfast with the King.
 
4. Point out that the church invites everyone, from those looking for faith to those looking for a hot meal. Note that each table has a leader who invites prayer requests and testimonies and stories.
 
5. Share that Tyson calls this “family-style worship” like a restaurant might call this style of dining “family-style.”  Ask, “How could ‘family-style’ be inviting to people who might not be comfortable in a regular church service?”
 
6. Focus on the leaders by asking, ‘How could “family-style” also empower the church’s members who serve as table leaders?” 
 
7. Wrap up the discussion in prayer for Waterbury Baptist Ministries and all whom they serve alongside. Also pray that God would open our eyes to possibilities for “family-style” worship wherever we are.  Include in prayer those on the Prayer Calendar (p. 6).

 
March 2013

This month's articles and learning center around those field personnel ministering among the international communities of North America. We will meet the Wyatts in Canada, the Samples in California, and the Smiths in Virginia who are learning to welcome those who are far from home in many ways. Whether a refugee, a student studying abroad, or an immigrant of his or her own choosing, internationals have many of the same needs. It is likely you know someone in your community who needs the loving and warm embrace of Christ. Will they find it in you?

Learn more about the Wyatts: www.thefellowship.info/wyatts
Explore Matthew House's website: http://www.matthewhouse.ca/
Explore the Furniture Bank of Ottawa's website: http://www.furniturebankofottawa.com/
Find more resources about the Canadian ministry to Internationals: http://www.cbfinternationals.com/Resources/tabid/6152/Default.aspx?Subject=57

Learn more about Lita and Rick Sample: http://www.thefellowship.info/Missions/Field-personnel/Sample
Learn more about Greg and Sue Smith: http://www.thefellowship.info/Missions/Field-personnel/Smith
Promote the Offering for Global Missions in your congregation using resources from CBF: www.thefellowship.info/give

Order the CBF Internationals 30-day prayer guide
Visit the CBF Internationals Cluster website: http://www.cbfinternationals.org/
Connect with others interested in ministering to Internationals: http://www.missioncommunities.org/internationals

In Worship: A Mission Moment

• Of Beetles and Angels: A Boy's Remarkable Journey from a Refugee Camp to Harvard is a true story of Mawi Asgedom, a refugee from Ethiopia who spent three years with his family in a refugee camp in Sudan. After his family was resettled in Chicago, Asgedom earned a full scholarship to Harvard.
• Download a copy of the Reading Group study guide for March.

fellowship! - December/January 2012

December 2012
 
Around the Table: At Church 

 
1. Before the Wednesday night meeting, the facilitator should gather prints of art works (paintings, sculptures, icons, etc.), DVDs or CDs of dance, choral music, etc. that illuminate part of the gospel story. (For examples of modern Christian-themed art, visit www.thechristiancalendar.com.) The artwork should be placed on tables around the room. As people come in, they should be encouraged to examine the artwork. Then they should sit in small groups and answer the following questions: 
 

• Which pieces of art were familiar to you? Do you have a favorite?
• What was something new that caught your eye? Why?
• Many of us are used to hearing and sharing the gospel verbally. What can art do that words cannot?
• How has art (in any form) helped shape your faith? What artistic skills do you have? How can you use them to communicate your faith in Christ?

 
2. Say: Bill and Michelle Cayard work with Christians in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China. They teach a class called “Gospel 101.” If you were teaching that class, what do you think would be most important to include? Would you start with the Gospels, Romans, or something else? Would your class be primarily verbal—sharing information—or would you include other expressions of faith?
 
3. Pray for CBF field personnel who use their artistic abilities to tell the story of Christ. Pray that churches will realize the worth of all sorts of media as they reach out to their communities. Pray for the Cayards as they communicate the basics of the gospel to many in Chengdu.
 

December In Reading Groups

• In her book Leap of Faith: Memoirs of an Unexpected Life, Queen Noor tells the story of how she, as an American woman, became Queen of Jordan. In this book, readers are given an inside look at peacekeeping efforts in the Middle East through listening to the experiences of Queen Noor and King Hussein.

• Download a copy of the Reading Group study guide for December.

January 2012
 
Around the Table: At Home 

1. Before it’s time to start, the facilitator should locate online optical illusions (slodive.com/inspiration/optical-illusions-for-kids) .

2. When the family gathers, spend a few minutes looking at the optical illusions. Why do some people see different things when they look at the images?

3. Next, the facilitator should tell everyone to look around the house and yard for materials that can be used to build a model house or houses. Nothing brand new should be used. Priority should be given to things that can be reused/recycled for this mini construction project. Once everything has been collected, the family should work together to construct one or more homes.

4. Say: After a devastating earthquake in 2010, Haitians worked with relief workers to solve many problems. One need was housing for people whose homes had been destroyed. At first, most people saw all the rubble left over after the earthquake as a problem, but then some began to see it as a solution. They realized new homes could be built from the rubble (www.abpnews.com/content/view/5782/53 ).

5. For a creative solution to another challenging problem, watch this video:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0_4qFrxw_4. Ask: How do you think people come up with great ideas like this?

6. Pray for Mike and Brenda Harwood, who work alongside Haitian Baptists and others to rebuild Haiti using whatever materials are at hand. Ask that God would give them both strength and creativity to fulfill their calling.

January In Reading Groups
 

• Until recently, Iranian literature has been written primarily by men. Let Me Tell You Where I’ve Been edited by Persis M. Karim tells the stories of more than 50 women writers who contributed to this volume. Covering themes such as exile, family, culture resistance, and love, this book provides a rich look at the Iranian diaspora from the words of its women.
   
• Download a copy of the January2013 Book Club Reading Group study guide for January.

fellowship! - October/November 2012

October 2012
 
Around the Table: At Home
 
 

1. Before a family dinner or other gathering, collect pieces of jewelry belonging to various members of your family. If possible, choose diverse jewelry that is made of different materials (costume jewelry, gold or silver, beads, etc.) Place several pieces of jewelry on the table or place one piece at each person’s place setting.
2. As you begin dinner, tell the story of “Gorgeous Gals” from this month’s issue of the fellowship! magazine (p. 14-15).
3. Then begin conversation by asking why people wear jewelry. Some answers might be that it makes them look nice or feel better about themselves.
4. Then ask if anyone knows who made the pieces of jewelry at the table. You can also ask if everyone gathered thinks it would be hard or easy to make jewelry.
5. After talking for a bit, bring the story back to the “Gorgeous Gals” article and ask how making jewelry is helping these women improve their lives.
6. You can also talk about the distinction between “charity” and “justice” by saying that while charity is good, it often only provides a temporary fix but justice seeks out opportunities to help people be independent and improve their own communities, rather than just depending on outside help.
7. End by talking about the economic development ministries and say a prayer for the women at “Gorgeous Gals.”

1. Before dinner, independently read the stories on education in this month’s issue of the fellowship! magazine (p. 18-24). If you have older children, encourage them to also read the articles as well.
2. Around the table, begin by talking about the stories, particularly the story on Hope Academy. Let this be a time of synopsis and reflection on God’s work at Hope Academy.
3. Ask the question, “What would you do if Eh Thaw Thaw or Chee Low were at your school?”
4. You can also ask, “Are there kids at your school who are made fun of because they are different?” Follow up by asking, “How do you respond?”
5. Ask, “What do you think it would be like to move to another country where you don’t understand the language and start school immediately?”
6. Allow the conversation to continue, giving space to talk about ways to treat people with kindness. Ask each person, “What unique way would you show kindness to others.” If there are younger children around the table, this is a good time to talk about how not to be a bully and how to respond when someone bullies you. If there are older children or young adults present, it may be a good chance to talk about past experiences of bullying and how these experiences can teach us to be kind to others and watch out for those who are marginalized.
7. End by praying first for the ministries featured in fellowship! articles and for Hope Academy.