HELP WEEK
MENTOR GUIDE
Purpose: Equip students to start a Gospel conversation.
Preparation:
- Give student speaker a Leader Guide for Opportunity Week. (Equip them for success.)
- Be ready to help students share the Life/Death card.
- Help student leaders counsel if needed.
Supplies:
- Life/Death Cards
- Dry erase or poster board for Church Shout—Outs
- Leader Guides for Opportunity Week
- Next Steps Cards
LEADER SIGN UP
If there are weeks that you do not have people to lead or serve, this is the !me to sign them up.
RANDOM QUESTION
[All Adults] If money were not an issue, what would you buy?
GET CONNECTED
[Mentor] Before we jump in, it’s !me for CHURCH SHOUT—OUTS! We love seeing you plugged into a local church, so, here’s your chance to give yours some love. What church do you go to, and when do you meet? (Give students and adult volunteers time to share. If you have a dry erase board or poster board, write down the churches and have students take pictures.) Let’s welcome our student host for today! [insert name]
WELCOME & OPEN PRAYER
[Host] Hey everyone! Welcome to First Priority. We’re so glad you’re here. This school year, we’re going to be talking about conversations that matter, conversations that can make a difference in someone’s life. And today, [insert name] is going to kick things off by talking about the most important conversation we can ever have — a conversation with God. Before we dive in, let’s take a moment to pray and ask God to be with us today. Let’s pray!
Sample Prayer: God, thank You for bringing each person here today. Help us to listen with open hearts and understand what You’re teaching us. Be with [insert name] as they share today and help us to respond to what we hear. In Jesus’ name, amen.
THE CONVERSATION
[Speaker] Have you ever tried talking to someone you didn’t really know? It’s awkward, right? Like, do I just start with “hey,” or do I say something funny? What if they don’t answer? Or worse — what if they just walk away?
A lot of people feel that way about talking to God. Maybe you’ve heard that prayer is important, but you’re not really sure how to do it or if He’s even listening. But here’s the truth: God wants to talk with us. Yes, us.
But before we talk about how we have a conversation with God, we have to ask an even bigger question. Who is God? God isn’t just some distant being in the sky, keeping score of everything we do wrong. He’s not a genie waiting for us to say the magic words so He’ll give us what we want. God is personal, powerful, and present.
Here is what the Bible says about God:
- God is our Creator. In Genesis chapter 1 verse 1, it says, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” He made everything, including you and me. He made us on purpose.
- God is loving. In First John chapter 4 verse 16, it says, “So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.” He doesn’t just have love — He is love.
- God is holy and perfect. In First Samuel chapter 2 verse 2, it tells us: “There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you.” He never messes up.
- God is close. He’s not far off or silent. He’s near. It tells us this in Psalms chapter 145 verse 18, “The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.”
That’s who God is. And you want to know the amazing thing? This God wants a real relationship with you and me.
Have you ever had a conversation that changed you? One that encouraged you, challenged you, or helped you see life differently? That is what a conversation with God looks like.
God created us for a rela!onship with Him. That’s the starting point of everything. He wants to talk with us and walk with us through life. But something gets in the way: sin. Sin is anything that goes against God’s perfect design. Lying, cheating, pride, and disobedience are all examples.
Romans chapter 3 verse 23 says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” That sounds like bad news, but the story doesn’t stop there. God loves us too much to leave us stuck in sin.
Romans chapter 6 verse 23 says, “For the wages (cost) of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” God’s solution? Jesus. Jesus took on the punishment for our sins when He died on the cross and He didn’t stay dead. He rose again, defeating sin and death, so we could have the promise of eternal life in Heaven and a new life with Him starting now.
You see, someone had to pay for our sins, so God sent His only Son, Jesus, to do that. God loves us that much. John chapter 3 verse 16 tells us this: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
All this so that we could have a rela!onship with Him, the God who created us, loves us, and is patiently waiting for us. And it starts with a simple conversation. Maybe you’ve never had that kind of conversation with God before. It doesn’t have to be complicated, just honest. Turn from your sin, believe in Jesus, and trust Him as Lord of your life.
If that’s you, and you’re ready to make that decision today, you can pray a simple prayer with me. It’s not the words that save you — it’s the heart behind the choice.
I want to ask everyone to bow your head and close your eyes. I want to give those who have decided to follow Jesus an opportunity to have a conversation with God right now.
Repeat after me (pause after each line):
God, thank You for loving me — and making a way for me — to have a rela!onship with You. — I confess that I am a sinner. — I believe that Jesus had to die on the cross — in my place — and that He rose from the dead — so that I could have a relationship with You. — I choose to trust and follow Jesus — as Lord of my life today. — Amen.
If you prayed that prayer, please tell me or an adult volunteer. Don’t keep it to yourself. We want to celebrate with you! We are going to finish up our club time today with our first Help Tool of the school year.
CONVERSATION STARTER—LIFE/DEATH CARD
[Speaker] God wants to have this same conversation with the people we go to school with, and He wants to use us to help start it. That’s what Romans chapter 10 reminds us: people can’t believe unless they hear, and they can’t hear unless someone tells them. You can be that someone. (Hold up the Life/Death card.) We will use this to help us start a Gospel conversation with those around us. (Have student leaders pass out Life/Death cards.)
First we notice that the color and texture of the card will grab people’s attention, so they might ask you about the card. If they do, start by saying, “I’m so glad you asked.” Then take the card and begin with the word “Death” showing. Read the top of the card, “For the wages of sin is death.” Then flip the card clockwise to show the word “Life” and read the top of the card, “But the gift of God is eternal life.” Second, read the back of the card to share more about what DEATH to LIFE means.
Let’s read what the back of the card says so that while we are sharing, the word Life is showing. “We all have sinned and are separated from God because of it. While we were still sinners, Jesus died for us. So, our sin came at a cost—DEATH. But the free gi of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. So, if we confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in our heart that God raised Him from the dead, we will be saved! Jesus loves us and has made a way for us to have a relationship with Him. What do you choose?”
This is a super easy way to start a Gospel conversation with those around us. The verses in parentheses show where these statements are in the Bible. Take time this week to look up the verses. Let’s prac!ce sharing the Life/Death card with a friend before using it on campus. Ready, set, go!
(Allow students time to prac!ce and then have the student host come back up and give the CHALLENGE and PRAY.)
CHALLENGE & PRAY
[Host] This week our challenge is to practice sharing the Life/Death card with a friend, even if they already know Jesus. Practicing builds our confidence so that when the opportunity comes, we’ll be ready. Let’s pray!
Sample prayer: God, thank You for giving us the greatest message to share. Help us to be bold in starting Gospel conversations this week. Use our words and actions to point others to You. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.
GAME TIME – Optional
[Host & Mentor] (See the Game Time tab for options.)
