SUNDAYS

(Cell follow up from Sunday 10 May)

Hopefully the powerpoint will be on the website early this week. You may wish to flip through the slides. Included with this material is a storyboard as a reminder.

warm-up: expressions

Just to start:

o In the pack is a collage of some Dayspring expressions. Do all of these merit being called an ‘expression’? What ones have been omitted?

o Ask people to list expressions of Dayspring and suggest the people focus and particular essence of each.

Focus: SUNDAYS is about developing disciples.

Read Matthew 11:25-30 and look at the photo in the pack.

o Verses 28-29 provide a picture of discipleship, highlighting the experience of an animal becoming a disciple. What are the benefits and costs of being yoked for the animal?

o List things that strike you as odd about being yoked to Jesus?

o Can you think of contemporary images which parallel that of being yoked?

essence: less religion…more living

Option A. Read James 1:26-27 and Isaiah 58:5-12. How does James add to Isaiah’s ideas about credible religion and why does James’s ‘higher standard’ matter.

Option B. Read James 1:22-27. Becoming religious in the worst sense is something that easily happens to all of us. What can we put into place to check that Dayspring is not becoming ‘more religion…less living’.

takeaway

Show the rough logo for SUNDAYS.

o Does ‘less religion…more living’ do a good job of expressing the essence of Dayspring?

o Can you think of a strap line that would do a better job of helping us to be clear in communicating and focused in faith?

o Do you have comments on the revised logo for Dayspring and for Sundays?

Please post responses to the last section on the website. If in doubt check with Anna as to where they should go.

Dave Halls, 18/05/2009

Feedback:

	Anna Townsend	18/05/2009 11:22
From Claire Gwyer and the Daytime Cell: On thursday morning we took full advantage of Jenny who doesn't go to church but does regularly come to cell. We asked her what the statement 'less religion.......more living' meant to her. She said it didn't mean anything and she didn't really understand it. She didn't seem to have a problem with the word religion. Although we at the cell always are saying us meeting together are physically 'the church' she doesn't consider herself to go to church. (Maybe because she hasn't made a public confession of faith she doesn't feel fully part of the body, yet she comes each week and has done for 3 years or so - I find this really interesting - yes you can pray wisdom and understanding for me!) She thought the logo could have been for anything and didn't see anything wrong in the word church beeing on it. She thought it could have been for a playgroup because the picture was so simple. We couldn't think of another way to let people know what we were about.
	David Sandberg	22/05/2009 09:35
Calne Cell Present - Sue Reeve, Anna Townsend, Anne Marie Ellis and David Sandberg Less religion...more living Less religion...more living ok just for Sundays but not for Dayspring as a whole as missed all the outreach. More living seems very self centred and about having fun, happy clappy. Less religion waters down we are a church. Less religion conjures up images of ornate altars, churches and cathedrals. Other strap lines: Less religion...more God for Sundays only Real people living real lives Lost people matter most No comments on the logo.