OPPORTUNITY WEEK
MENTOR GUIDE
Purpose: Encourage students to see opportunities to share their faith.
Preparation:
- Give the student speaker a Leader Guide for Prepare Week. (Equip them for success)
- Follow FP on social media.
Supplies:
- Signs or cards with QR code to Instagram social media
- Leader Guides for Opportunity Week
LEADER SIGN-UP
Enlist students to share next week on how First Priority has impacted them, and if you do not have people to lead or serve, this is the time to sign them up.
RANDOM QUESTION
[All Adults] Would you rather go back in time 5 years and redo something or go ahead 5 years and see what is coming?
GET CONNECTED
[COACH/MENTOR] Before we get started, take a second to follow us on social media at [insert handle]. This is the best way to stay in the loop about what’s happening with our clubs, and you might even see yourself featured in a post or story! (go ahead and show them the QR code) Now let’s welcome our student host, [insert name] for today!
WELCOME & OPEN PRAYER
[HOST] Hello everyone and welcome to First Priority! We are so glad you are here this week. Today [insert name] is going to talk about how Jesus stepped into each and every conversation with love, showing us how He made a difference in the people around Him and how we can too. Before we get started, let’s take a moment to pray together. Let’s pray.
SAMPLE PRAYER: God, thank you for bringing us together today. Thank you for everyone in this room. I pray that you would speak through [insert name] and help us to see how we may use your example to show love in each of our conversations with others this summer. Open our hearts and minds and help us to grow closer to You today. In Your Name we pray, amen.
THE CONVERSATION
[SPEAKER] Last week, we were challenged to memorize Romans 6:23 and share it with someone around us. Did you memorize it – anyone want to share? (Allow students to respond) How did it go sharing with others? (Allow students to respond and share your own experience) Was it easier or harder than you expected? (Allow time for students to respond and share your own experience as well)
Talking about God is not always easy. There are times when we are worried about how people are going to respond to what we have to say or how they will see us. Today let’s keep the conversation going and talk through how to have our conversations in love, even when they are hard or awkward.
In John chapter 4, Jesus travels through Samaria and meets a woman at a well—someone many people in His culture would have avoided, yet He does not. He knows everything about her life, yet He offers her grace instead of judgement. All of this wrapped in the love He has for us. Jesus tells her that He can give her “living water,” a relationship with God that satisfies the deepest thirst of the human heart, Eternal Life with Him. After believing that Jesus is the Messiah, the woman quickly leaves her water jar, returns to her town, and tells everyone she has met the One who changed her life. Because of her simple invitation, many people come to meet Jesus and believe in Him for themselves.
This story reminds us that sharing the gospel doesn’t require having all the answers or a perfect past. The woman simply shared what Jesus had done in her life, out of love, and invited others to come and see Him.
As we begin summer, we will have opportunities to connect with our teammates, co-workers, neighbors, friends at the pool, on vacation, or at camp—people we may not see during the school year. Summer creates space for us to have new conversations and deeper relationships. Like the woman at the well, we can ask God to help us notice the people around us, be willing to start conversations, share how Jesus has changed our lives, and invite our friends to discover Him for themselves. Taking the time to have these conversations shows the love of God to others around us – we are not too young and can make a difference in the world around us. We just have to take the first step and watch for those who need Him and leap into the conversation with them.
DISCUSSION TIME
[SPEAKER & COACH/MENTOR] Let’s take a few minutes and chat together. (Give students a chance to share their thoughts on the questions below and be sure to join the conversation)
- What can we learn about the way Jesus treated the Samaritan woman and why did others avoid her?
- Who are the people you’ll likely spend time with this summer who may not know Jesus and what are some natural ways to bring up the conversation of faith?
- How can asking some good questions sometimes be better than giving a long speech?
- What does it look like for you to share the Gospel with both truth and love?
Thanks for sharing today! Now let’s take what we have learned today and put it into action.
CHALLENGE & PRAY
[HOST] Our challenge this week is to look for one moment everyday where we can share the love of Christ through our conversations. Let’s pray.
SAMPLE PRAYER: Jesus, thank you for being a strong example of love. We know you have called us exactly where we will need to be this summer in each of our activities. Help us to be that example of love to others in everything we do and show us who needs that love this week as we live out our faith with truth and love. In Your Name we pray, amen.
GAME TIME – OPTIONAL
[HOST & COACH/MENTOR] (see the game time tab for options)
