Welcome to the Getting Ready User's Guide and what we hope will be an exciting and transformative journey for you and your group. The Writing Team has been praying for you and your group and is working hard to offer the best material we can so that your group can be prepared for the Gathering. The Getting Ready materials are an amazing opportunity to dive deep into the Gathering themes, the Bible and the lives of your youth. The months of preparation will help deepen and extend your experiences and learning — during and after the Gathering — into your home, community, and for life!
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The full six-month curriculum of the Getting Ready Materials are designed to engage the theme, citizens with the saints, and the Gathering program core practices —
Discipleship,
Peacemaking and
Justice. Each session will focus on one of the truths that help us deepen our understanding of being made into "citizens with the saints." (See the
Theological Statement for more.) The six sessions are:
- Citizens with the Saints, Part 1
Jesus gathers us as citizens with the saints to learn to love like Jesus through practicing discipleship that works for peace through justice.
This session dives into the Gathering theme text Ephesians 2:14-20 and is an introductory exploration of the Gathering program core practices.
- Baptismal Identity and Promises
Jesus makes us one new humanity through baptism and this is who we are.
This session explores the vision of the Gathering, remembering who we are in Christ and how we response by forming faithful, wise and courageous leaders who will:
1. Live among God's faithful people;
2. Hear the word of God and share in the Lord's supper;
3. Proclaim the good news of God in Christ through words and deed;
4. Serve all people, following the example of Jesus; and
5. Strive for justice and peace in all the earth (ELW, page 236).
- Discipleship
Jesus makes all people free and calls us to be disciples.
This session examines how Jesus calls, equips and sends us to be disciples.
- Peacemaking
Jesus makes peace and calls us to see each other as God sees us.
This session investigates the statement "Jesus is our peace" from Ephesians 2:14 and challenges us to see peace as the grace, forgiveness and wholeness that reflects God's intent for creation.
- Justice
Jesus makes creation right with God and calls us to live boldly in the face of injustice.
This session invites us to listen in as Jesus practices justice with the woman at the well and calls us to listen in to our community and the communities in New Orleans.
- Citizens with the Saints, Part 2
Jesus makes one new household through the cross and we are all part of it.
This session invites us to return to Ephesians 2:14-20 to deepen our understanding of the Gathering theme and its relevance to daily life.
These materials have been written with an awareness that one piece of curriculum will not work perfectly in all places. We understand that every group has a different way to get ready for the Gathering. We hope that you will be able to lead all six sessions in the months leading up to the Gathering.
We suggest starting in January and using one session per month. However, two other configurations are possible. If you only have a total of 6 hours available for getting your group ready, use the following three sessions: "Citizens with the Saints Part 1," "Baptismal Identity and Promises," and "Citizens with the Saints Part 2." Using these sessions as part of an overall meeting structure will take roughly 4.5 hours and leave 1.5 hours available for covering trip logistics.
If you will only have 90 minutes to work with the Getting Ready materials, we recommend focusing on Citizens with the Saints Part 1. There is also a separate
60-minute curriculum that is designed for use in four 15-minute segments. The 60-minute curriculum does not give any of the background on the theme Scripture or program core practices that the in-depth Getting Ready materials provide.
Each session is designed around the
seven faith practices lifted up by the ELCA.
- Invite
This practice directly concerns evangelism. We invite people through our relationship with them to meet Christ in the gospel. In the Getting Ready materials, we kick off each session with an interactive activity that invites participants into the session and begins engaging the topic in a tangible way. It is intended to build relationships between the participants in your group and help them to enter into a meeting with Christ in this setting.
- Encourage
In this section of each session, groups intentionally center themselves in the peace of Christ and enter into a time of listening to each other. It is comprised of two pieces: the Passing of the Peace and "Highs and Lows". The Passing of the Peace is intended to be a moment in which all participants acknowledge that each of them is part of the body of Christ and are reconciled to one another through Christ. Give participants ample time to greet each other. For reflections on the purpose of Passing the Peace, see www.elca.org/Growing-In-Faith/Worship/Learning-Center/FAQs/Exchange-of-Peace.aspx and www.clarpresby.com/worship/sermon/sermon-archive/sharing-the-peace-of-christ--8212011. The ritual of sharing "Highs and Lows" allows group members to encourage one another in daily life. This also provides the group with the focus for prayer in the next part of each session.
- Prayer
Prayer places us in the presence of God. Prayer allows us to intercede for the needs of the neighbor. If you use all six sessions, your group will have fully assembled the Prayer of the People used in the traditional Holy Communion liturgy. The intention here is to make a connection between what happens in Sunday service and the practices that participants will experience at the Gathering.
- Worship
Every time you gather there will time to practice liturgy, song, Bible reading (Ephesians 2:14-20), reflection and prayer.
- Study
This section offers a chance to engage the Bible and explore its truths that help us deepen our understanding of being made into "citizens with the saints." The methods used in constructing these studies are informed by our partnership with the Book of Faith Initiative.
- Give
Each part of the body of Christ has a part to play in making the world more peaceful and just. This is an opportunity to explore what your part is in your home, community and the world.
- Serve
This section takes learning out into the world to enact our beliefs. It calls us to engage our community and world beyond each session. Both the Give and Serve sections have been created in partnership with ELCA World Hunger.
- Sending
Although technically not one of the seven faith practices, each session concludes with a blessing and benediction.
Each session plan is designed to be first read online. They are full of hyperlinks which, when accessed, will enhance your learning and knowledge of the subject being covered. Please take the time to explore the hyperlinks embedded in these texts. Also included on each session plan Web page, is a .pdf version. This can be printed to be used during the session. Print any of the Getting Ready resources by clicking on the "print" button/icon at the bottom of each Web page.
Plan approximately 90 minutes to complete each session in one sitting. However, the curriculum is designed to be broken apart, re-configured, and redesigned for the needs of each faith community's context. If you find a successful hack of the material, let us know on the Gathering Facebook site.
With the emphasis in the sessions on baptism and renewing our baptism, it is worth saying that not all of your group members may be baptized. If you have allowed your youth to bring guests or if you had new youth join your group just for the Gathering, you may find yourself in a situation where you find out that a participant is a seeker or is from a mixed-tradition home that has allowed them to wait for a "believer's baptism."
Our suggestion to you is that you have a conversation with the participant to find out why he or she believes that their baptism has not taken place. Perhaps the participant just doesn't remember being told about infant baptism. If you find out that the participant has not been baptized, you should have a conversation with your pastor (if that's not you already) and then with the family to find out if a baptism is something that is desired.
In any situation, use your faith community's traditions as a guide, knowing that God's grace is there for you.
Be sure to plan ahead. Each lesson offers suggestions on things to use with your group to help them prepare for their experience in New Orleans. Most sessions include videos and other materials to augment the activities in the curriculum.
Some of these lessons will require your group to talk about tough issues such as racism, poverty and other injustices. Please do not feel as though you need to be able to offer up answers to all of the questions these lessons might generate. As a Christian community, we are called to come together to seek meaning together. This is not an easy task, but it is the task to which we've been called.
God's blessings in your preparation and ministry!