Journey

Perception

Many churches are in need of a friend. Yet, historically, a church might centre family and kinship relations, drive community purpose, and foreground regional and even national identities, e.g. through festivities and storytelling. Our communities today are probably more knowledgeable and better connected than in any period of human history, so how can we re-connect our churches?

Facilitation

This activity is about imagining joyful journeys that strengthen your church’s connection to the world around it. This activity could work for real-world as well as fictional journeys that cross time periods and locations in thought-provoking ways. The facilitator’s role is to help people imagine journeys that extend who is brought into contact with your church.

Step 1

Print as many Journey packs as you have people in your group. Gather together and spend some time preparing your packs. As you do this, ask which stories you’d like to share about this place, and with whom? Stack all cards of the same type together for the whole group to use.

Step 2

Construct your journey, with a beginning, an ending and moments along the way. Write your ideas on the cards directly. Attach the small circular pieces (representing places) to show where the elements of your journey take place. At least one moment in your journey should take place in your Church.

Step 3

Share your joyful journeys and explore together where different journeys compliment each other or overlap to reveal something bigger. Maybe they bring a core strength or important shared need to the foreground? Now is the time to make your joyful journeys a reality.

Tip: If you have pews in your church, why not use them to lay out individual journeys for people to explore.