Week 9- Does God Heal Today?
*** Week Nine Small Group Leader Notes click here
6:15 pm Prayer / Administration Meeting
7:00 pm Supper
7:40 pm Introduction/Welcome suggestions
<Joke>
7:50 pm Worship
8:00 pm Talk – Does God Heal Today? Introduction
8:45 pm Optional coffee break
9:00 pm Small Groups (start at 8:45, if no coffee break)
9:45 pm End (end at 9:30 pm if no coffee break)
6:15 Prayer/ Administration Meeting
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5-10 minutes
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Worship: led by the Worship Leader or use a worship CD
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2-3 songs of worship to prepare team
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15- 20 minutes
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Prayer Points: led by the Prayer Leader
• Thank God for what he’s doing through the course
• For tonight’s speaker and talk
• That God’s healing power would be present with us
• Explain that we’re open to words of knowledge from the Spirit. We will now ask God to speak to us about the people who are here tonight. It may be through impressions, thoughts, words, pictures, sympathetic pain
• Encourage the team to call out the words and have an administrator write them down
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5 minutes |
Announcements: led by the Course Administrator
• Alpha Celebration supper will be on the (give date/s) We need:
• Numbers attending
• Money (if collecting in advance)
• Helpers for the evening
• Guest Questionnaires. Please have the guests fill these out
• Leader’s Questionnaire Please fill out and return to Course Administrator. If anyone in your group has become a Christian or has a testimony suitable for the Celebration supper, please make a note of this and include their name.
• Testimony Reminders:
• Please don’t tell anyone you have recommended them to give their testimony, simply notify the Alpha team
• The test of a good testimony is this – if you were bringing a friend to the supper, would you want them to hear this person?
• The person doesn’t need to have become a Christian on Alpha
• Looking to the next course, there are a number of options for your guests:
• Come back to help on Alpha
• Join a small group
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5-10 minutes |
Training tips: led by the Course Administrator
• Celebration Supper:
• Bring as many guests as you like without paying, or contribute more if you like
• Begin the groups by talking about the supper, but also get down to praying as soon as possible. Don’t get bogged down in a theological discussion, keep things practical
• After discussing the suppers, you need to ask if anyone thought a word of knowledge, ‘might be relevant to them’. You may need to coax it out of them!
• Start to pray for everyone who would like prayer – in relation to the words of knowledge, but also to be filled with the Spirit. You will find that the brave ones ask first and then others will follow when they see ‘it’s not that bad’
• Make sure to leave time for the praying – it may take a good half hour or longer depending on your group
• Look for those who want to receive prayer, and also those whom the Spirit is obviously touching. You’ll sense this and may see it in someone’s face. Maybe they are the perfect person to pray for a good friend they have made during the course. Keep an eye out for this and encourage them. They will invariably not feel up to praying!
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7:00 pm Supper
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7:40 pm Introduction/Welcome suggestions
“Welcome everyone! We are approaching the end of Alpha, and we have a Celebration Supper to look forward to in two weeks. We have invitations for you and your friends (hold up).
You will receive a questionnaire tonight which we would love you to fill in and return to us so we can take your comments into account for the next course.
See the back of the Alpha Manual for the questionnaire.
This evening’s talk is entitled ‘Does God Heal today?’ and the book we recommend tonight is…
• Dancer off her Feet – Julie Sheldon
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<Joke>
(Note: this joke is a little long, but it usually gets a good laugh)
The bricklayer
A young bricklayer was having difficulties with his insurance company. He responded to them this way. “I am writing in response to your request for additional information. In block number three of the accident reporting form, I put "poor planning" as the cause of my accident. You said in your letter that I should explain more and I trust that the following details are sufficient:
I am a bricklayer by trade. On the day of the accident, I was working alone on the roof of a new six-story building. When I completed my work, I discovered that I had about 500 pounds of bricks left over. Rather than carry the bricks down by hand I decided to lower them in a barrel by using a pulley, which fortunately was attached to the side of the building at the sixth floor.
Securing the rope at the ground level, I went up to the roof, swung the barrel out and loaded the bricks into it. Then I went back to the ground and untied the rope, holding it tightly to insure a slow descent of the 500 pounds of bricks. You will note in block number 11 of the accident reporting form that I weigh 135 pounds. Due to my surprise at being jerked off the ground so suddenly, I lost my presence of mind and forgot to let go of the rope. Needless to say, I proceeded at a rather rapid rate up the side of the building.
In the vicinity of the third floor, I met the barrel coming down. This explains the fractured scull and broken collarbone. Slowed only slightly, I continued my rapid ascent, not stopping until the fingers of my right hand were two knuckles deep into the pulley. Fortunately, by this time I had regained my presence of mind and was able to hold tightly to the rope in spite of my pain.
At approximately the same time, however, the barrel of bricks hit the ground - and the bottom fell out of the barrel. Devoid of the weight of the bricks, the barrel now weighed approximately 50 pounds. I refer you again to my weight in block number 11. As you might imagine, I began a rapid descent down the side of the building.
In the vicinity of the third floor, I met the barrel coming up. This accounts for the two fractured ankles and lacerations of my legs and lower body. The encounter with the barrel, slowed me enough to lessen my injuries when I fell onto the pile of bricks and fortunately, only three vertebra were cracked. I am sorry to report, however, that as I lay there on the bricks in pain, unable to move, and watching the barrel six stories above - I again lost my presence of mind.
I let go of the rope!”
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7:50 pm Worship
Click here for worship considerations and a list of suggested songs.
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8:00 pm Talk- Does God Heal today?
8:45 pm Optional coffee break
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9:00 pm Small Groups (start at 8:45, if no coffee break)-
Note: this week it is important to take some time to pray for the guests. Either omit the discussion time or limit it to 5-10 minutes so there can be time for prayer.
9:45 pm End (end at 9:30 pm if no coffee break)
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