Class #1 What do You Think?

The first class session was held early in August and was primarily an exercise in getting the kids to give us a little information. This class started with an ice breaker wherein the kids....

1. What do you want to learn about?
2. What do you know about the church?

We passed out cards a week ahead of the class and asked them to bring ideas to share on what they would like to learn. Anytime you ask a group of 13 years to free wheel ideas your bound to come up with some good ones, and we did. Most of what they asked about was right up our alley from the standpoint it will be great fodder for the class. Some of what they asked about, well Matt2 havent quite figured out how to handle...but we will.

We broke the kids in to three group to answer each of the two questions and had them work as a small group to combine their answers. After they had a list, someone from their group read out to the rest of the class what they had.

After we completed both lists in the same manner we gave the kids small stickers and they voted on which items they were most interested in hearing. That too took a bit of faith on our part, but I think we can work in all of the subjects over the course of the year.

Above all we sincerely appreciated the very engaged attitude the kids have had and look forward to each session.

So here is the list of items they all brought to class to learn. The number of votes each item got indicating from the kids are in parenthesis.

1. Why cant we play sports when we repent? [4]
2. End of times (revelations)? [2]
3. Evolution? [3]
4. If God can do anything why does he need angels? [0]
5. Why is there school? [0]
6. Do babies grow old in heaven? [3]
7. Give all the details of your first kiss? [6]
8. Why cant we date after we repent? [6]
9. Why does God let bad things happen to us? [0]
10. Why dont parents understand us? [0]
11. If you kill yourself where do you go? [3]
12. Why cant you be a pro football player when you repent? [1]
13. Beginning of time? [1]
14. Dinosaurs? [0]
15. The seven seals. How many heads does the monster have? [0]
16. Why should we forgive? [0]
17. Why can you join the army at 18 but you cant drink until after your 21? [4]

The second list of items we got from the kids was a list of what they 'knew' about our church. The kids again were broke in to three groups and several items appeared on multiple lists but here is the list combined;

1. repent, baptised, go to heaven
2. Modesty
3. Dont talk dirty
4. 10 commandments
5. The holy kiss
6. Head coverings
7. We believe in God and Jesus
8. We read the bible and obey
9. We eat at every AC event
10. We have 2 services
11. We dont work on Sundays
12. The bible is true
13. Girls have to wear skirts
14. Men wear suits and ties
15. Once you repent you aren't supposed to play sports
16. No hats
17. Girls wear headcoverings
18. Sing hymns
19. don't do anything worldly
20. tithing