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| Cuncon / Pixabay / PD |
1. Opening prayer or reflection
2. Minutes of last meeting
3. Review of happenings
What happened this week? It may be something that happened at work, or in the family. It may be a conversation or an article you read. Share about something that made you angry or happy or confused or depressed – something that really affected you.
• What caused this to happen?
• How did it affect the people involved?
• What are the good and bad things about this happening?
• What was your reaction/action?
• Was that a good reaction? A responsible reaction?
4. The enquiry – Friends
Friends are perhaps our most valuable possessions. We need the companionship, support and love of others. We need friends to be able to live truly human lives. What is a friend? Young people from different countries in our region would give different answers to that question. The reason is not just culture. Perhaps the biggest reason is the degree of capitalism and ‘development’ of the country.
SEE
1. Do you have a group of friends that you usually spend time with? How many are in this group? How often do you get together and what sorts of things do you do together?
2. Do you have one or more ‘real’ friends? What is the difference between having a group of friends and having a close friend?
3. What prevents people from building and developing close friendships?
JUDGE
1. “The trend of modern society is to make every person an individualist who competes with others.” Discuss. Is this true? How does society do this?
2. In some capitalist countries young workers are too busy to have time to develop friendships. They buy entertainment as a substitute. Who are the lucky ones – those with friends or those who can afford to buy a night’s entertainment with a video or computer game etc.?
3. It is more important to ‘be a friend' than to ‘have a friend.’ Discuss.
ACT
1. How could you ‘be a friend’ in a significant way to one of your friends this week? Is this a realistic plan of action?
2. Can you think of someone who might benefit from the friendship that your group has to offer? Could you involve them in some group action or invite them along to a group gathering?
Action Ideas
"I did want to become better friends with one of the girls in our group, but I did not know how to do this. Then I heard she was very good at dressmaking. I decided to ask her help with a dress that I was making. I probably didn’t really need the help – but the result was that I had made a good friend. I learnt that it is sometimes easier to make a friend by asking for a gift than by giving one." (TAIWAN)
5. General business
Read and prepare next week’s enquiry topic.
Who will lead next week’s meeting – and who will be secretary?
During the week try talking about the next discussion topic with other friends, at work or social occasions, to get their opinions.
6. Closing prayer and social