Welcome to your Journey to Jamaa Church...

Welcome to your Journey to Jamaa Church Experience!

“Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.” —Isaiah 1:17

The Journey to Jamaa Church Experience is designed as a complete worship event, centered on an inspirational 35-minute film that will open a window to the reality millions of children face every day as they struggle with poverty, hunger, disease, and a lack of education. Your congregation will travel with Derick and Margaret, two children on a journey to find Jamaa (pronounced juh-MA), the Swahili word for family.

The film will have a profound impact on your congregation and staff as you learn about what kind of faith pleases God (James 1:27.) You will also be challenged to respond to the struggles of children around the globe through a special offering or child sponsorship.

This overview will guide you through the five simple steps required to host a successful Journey to Jamaa event. Our prayer is that your church family would experience Jamaa as you are drawn closer to each other and closer to the heart of God.

World Vision is a Christian relief, development and advocacy organization dedicated to working with children, families and communities to overcome poverty and injustice. World Vision serves all people regardless of religion, race, ethnicity or gender.

2 Journey to Jamaa Church Experience | World Vision Canada

Overview

Five Steps to Jamaa:

• Step 1: Contact your local World Vision church advisor

• Step 2: Download the event resources

• Step 3: Prepare your staff team & recruit volunteers

• Step 4: Promote the event 3-4 weeks in advance

• Step 5: Create an event plan

Essential Components:

• Critical Tech Notes

• Pre-Film Speaking Points

• Interactive Component: Character Cards

• Character Cards Speaking Points

• Additional Ideas to Enhance Your Experience

Getting Started

The scale of your Journey to Jamaa experience is entirely up to you! We have provided all of the resources you’ll need for a full presentation, but you are free to customize the event to fit your particular ministry

Journey to Jamaa Church Experience | World Vision Canada3

Step 1: Contact Your Local World Vision Church Advisor

• Your World Vision church advisor will be able to assist with any questions you may have as well as provide support on the day of the event. Contact your church advisor 6-8 weeks in advance of your event day to arrange for his/her participation at your event.

Please visit www.churches.worldvision.ca/contact to find the contact information for your local church advisor.

Step 2: Download the Event Resources

Most of the resources required to plan and promote your event are available at no charge on the Journey to Jamaa website. Visit www.churches.worldvision.ca/jamaa/ then download each of the following components:

o Film Trailer

o Pre-event Sunrise video

o Event posters

o Bulletin inserts

o PowerPoint template

o Web banners

o Email invitation

• Please Note: Your church advisor will assist you in coordinating the event and to provide the Journey to Jamaa DVD, event character cards, and child sponsorship folders.

Step 3: Prepare Your Staff Team & Recruit Volunteers

• Reflect on these verses with your staff while asking God to reveal His heart for the poor:

o Proverbs 31:8-9

o Isaiah 58: 6-12

o Amos 5:21-24

o Matthew 25:34-46

o Mark 10:13-16

o James 1:27

• Watch the film together as a staff team. Journey to Jamaa is a powerful film that will have a profound impact on the viewer. After viewing, spend some time discussing their response to the film and begin brainstorming ideas for service planning. Be creative!

• Be sure to connect with your worship coordinator about music for the event day. Plan on incorporating a variety of music that focuses on Biblical justice themes and reaching out to those in need.

• Inform your tech coordinator about the event. Be sure to provide your coordinator with a copy of the film and the viewing instructions so he or she can prepare sound and lighting elements.

Five Steps to Jamaa


• Notify your ushers and greeters that things will be a little different for your Journey to Jamaa service. Ushers have the important job of setting the mood with their energy and warmth. Encourage them to welcome people with a special greeting – Jambo! (explain that this is Swahili for hello.) They will also help distribute the character cards as congregants enter. During the service congregants will learn more about their character and the issues their character faces.

• Ask your facilities person set up a 6-8 foot table on the day of the event for World Vision’s church advisor to display child sponsorship folders.

• Pray specifically for your Journey to Jamaa event, that God would speak to everyone who participates. Pray that hearts would be impacted by the film, that your church would become engaged with God’s call to serve the poor, and that participants in the service would be moved to sponsor a child in need. Pray also that God would use Journey to Jamaa to move your hearts to impact children around the world for the sake of His kingdom.

Step 4: Promote the Event 3-4 Weeks in Advance

• Use the customizable poster, bulletin inserts, PowerPoint template, and web banners to spread the word that Journey to Jamaa is coming to your church.

• Email the congregation using the customizable invitation to let them know all of the details and prepare them to respond.

• Consider preaching a series of messages on God’s heart for the poor and our responsibility to care for those in need culminating with the showing of Journey to Jamaa and the opportunity to sponsor a child or take a special offering.

• Play the film trailer in at least one service prior to the event and post it on the church website with details about the date and time when the full film will be shown.

Step 5: Create an Event Plan

• The suggested event schedule below provides an overview of all the service elements; however, you can customize the event for your congregation. Notes for your audiovisual coordinator are also included to assist with timing before and during the service. Feel free to customize the timing for your own service context.


Time (Customize

based on your service start

time)

Length (Based on a 60 minute service)

Service Element Description Tech Directions

5 minutes before service begins

Pre-serviceAfrican music plays as congregants enter; sunrise graphic shown on screen.

File: Sunrise with African Music. File contains 5 minutes of an African sunrise image with themed music intended to set the mood for congregants as they enter the sanctuary.

10+ minutes Service timePastor’s welcome, announcements, worship, offering, prayer, etc.

Sunrise concludes as pastor and worship team enters stage.

10+ minutes Pre-film message

Pastor uses provided speaking points to draw attention to the character cards, highlight the needs of families living in poverty, and introduce the film.

PowerPoint slides with Character Card readings are cued in order of presentation: Samuel, Christine, and Derick. See Character Cards section below.

34 minutes Film House lights off

File: Film. Film cues up to a black screen and audio narration that lasts for one minute and automatically leads into the film.

5+ minutes Post-film wrap up

Pastor draws attention to the ONE Margaret card, and explains how congregants can make a difference in the life of a child.

File: Journey to Jamaa Image. Still image of film poster will loop for up to one hour. See Character Cards section below.

2+ minutes Closing and prayer

Pastor closes with prayer and points congregants to the sponsorship tables.

File: Journey to Jamaa Image. Continue loop of film poster as congregants exit sanctuary.

• The above schedule runs through the details of your Journey to Jamaa service and provides specific time cues for the film and other audiovisual elements. We recommend reviewing this schedule ahead of time and becoming familiar with the DVD files and their placement within your service. Be sure to review the details with your event coordinator so you are aware of timing and additional service elements.

• The Event DVD contains four separate files that can be used during your service: Sunrise with African Music, Film, Reflection Time Slide, and Journey to Jamaa Image. It is recommended that you use all but the Reflection Time Slide during your service according to the schedule above.

• These files can play in stereo or a 5.1 surround format, if your church has the speaker capabilities. When you insert the Event DVD, choose the “play DVD” option and make your sound selection from the main menu.

Critical Tech Notes


• Church Service Speaking Points

o Use the Swahili word for hello to greet your congregation – “Jambo!”

o Jamaa is Swahili for family. Journey to Jamaa uses film to tell the true story of two children from Kampala, Uganda, who undergo a harrowing journey to find their family. One important theme from the film is the way in which we can follow God’s heart for the poor by extending our family to include those in need – something we can do through World Vision child sponsorship.

o Caution parents that the film may be disturbing for young children. Consider having them join in with activities that are taking place for children during the service time.

o Consider sharing from some of the verses you meditated on during your preparation time.

• Character cards can be used to further draw the audience into the stories of Samuel, Derick, Christine and Margaret. Each card represents one of the real issues facing children, families, and their communities in many parts of the world. The character cards are both a pre and post film interactive component.

• Instructions:

o Upon entry to the church auditorium, everyone should have randomly received a card with a picture of one of the characters from the film – Samuel, Christine, or Derick.

o As indicated in the service schedule, in the pre-film message you will be drawing attention to these cards and the issues they represent. When the time comes in your service, ask everyone to take turns standing based upon the character card they have received as you highlight their character (see Character Card Speaking Points below.)

o Another effective option is to have the character speaking points below put onto a PowerPoint slide and have everyone who received that character’s card read the notes together.

o There is just one card for Margaret, the key character in the film. Select one person prior to the service to be given the Margaret card.

o After the film, this person will be required to stand on their own and answer a question so be sure they are comfortable being singled out in this way.

Pre-Film Speaking Points

Interactive Component: Character Cards


Pre-Film

• When you came in today, you received a card representing one of the characters in the film we’re about to see. Please take a look at those cards now. Each card represents one of the real issues facing children, families, and entire communities in many parts of the world.

• Samuel

o If you have received the Samuel card, please stand up. When the film starts, we are going to meet Samuel.

o “Samuel represents fathers in Africa struggling to provide for their families under the crushing burden of poverty. Just imagine coming home from another day of back breaking labour in the fields; your children are hungry and you can’t afford to feed them. Hard choices have to be made. No matter how long or hard he works, it will never be enough. For millions of fathers like Samuel, hunger, illness, and the inability to meet the most basic needs of his family is a constant reality. Half of the people in Samuel’s community live in poverty. That means if there are eight people sitting in your row today, four of you are struggling just like he is.”

o Samuel, please take a seat.

• Christine

o If you have received the Christine card, please stand up.

o “Christine represents mothers in Africa struggling to keep their families together in the face of poverty and disease. She needs water for cooking, cleaning, and washing, but the closest source is a muddy hole four kilometres away. Two times every day, Christine makes this trek with 20 kilograms of water – or more – strapped to her back. What’s worse, the water she collects is a breeding ground for disease, yet she has no money to take her children to the clinic. Christine has the same dreams as all of the mothers in this room: we all want our children to stay healthy, get a good education, and have a bright future. But how can she make that happen when she has to spend eight hours a day getting water?”

o Christine, please take a seat.

• Derick

o If you have received the Derick card, please stand…

o “Derick represents children who have lost their childhood. He is only 11 years old, yet he has the responsibilities of an adult. No one tucks him in at night, no one washes his clothes, and he never has time to play. Derick is on his own, supporting his younger sister and sick mother. Their survival depends on him. Going to school is out of the question. He is at the mercy of others because he doesn’t know how to read – not even the instructions on a medicine bottle.

Character Cards Speaking Points


Derick might become an orphan, he might be abducted and forced to fight as a child soldier or sold into slavery by traffickers. Derick is alone and he is overwhelmed.”

○ Derick, you can have a seat.

Post-Film

· Margaret

○ We’ve seen first-hand the challenges that parents like Samuel and Christine face as they struggle to care for their families in the midst of overwhelming poverty. And we’ve journeyed with Derick, experiencing the loneliness, fear, and uncertainty that are all too familiar to children in his situation.

○ There is one more character in the film I’d like to talk about – Margaret. If you have the Margaret card, please stand.

○ Address “Margaret” directly…“How does it feel to stand alone?” (Vulnerable, frightened, alone…)

○ It’s vulnerable being alone. That same vulnerability is what makes children just like Margaret experience every day. She’s a young child without parents, who is now dependent on her 11-year-old brother for survival. This is a situation no child should ever be in. Where does Margaret turn for hope?

· Closing Address

○ As you leave the service today, there will be pictures of children just like Margaret.

○ Jesus says in Matthew 25:35-36, “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger and you invited me in. I needed clothes and you clothed me. I was sick and you looked after me. I was in prison and you came to visit me.

○ We are God’s hands in this world. He works through individuals one by one, individuals just like you. Is God calling you today, to be that one?

○ Will you be the one to welcome a child into your family today?


• Six Week Gospel Quest

o Consider taking your church, adult Sunday school, or small groups through a six-week video study based on The Hole In Our Gospel, a life-changing book written by Richard Stearns, president of World Vision U.S. Journey to Jamaa is a perfect way to culminate this excellent study. Visit http://sixweekquest.com/ for more information and to order a video study kit.

• Drum and Lobby Music

o Purchase or download African drum music and play as congregants enter the service. Or, have your worship team play traditional African music before and after the service.

• African Head-Wraps

o Give your volunteers a distinct look. Create traditional African head-wraps by purchasing brightly coloured or patterned fabric from your local fabric store.

• Daily-life Drama

o Have a team of volunteers portray daily activities from Africa or another area of focus before and after the service. This could take place on stage, in the foyer, or in the parking lot as people arrive. Sample activities include transporting water in large buckets or jerry cans, cooking over a makeshift fire, or selling goods in a marketplace.

• Community Marketplace

o Transform your entryway, parking lot, or fellowship room into a traditional African market with bananas, pineapple, nuts, free-trade coffee and other treats. Consider replacing your normal post-service fellowship time by encouraging everyone to “go to market” after the service.

• Take a Tour

o If your church has sent a mission team to Africa or you have a missionary currently serving in an African country, consider posting photos, letters, artifacts or running a slide loop of photos from that experience.

• Share Stories

o There is nothing like hearing a story first-hand. If there is anyone in your congregation who has lived through circumstances similar to Margaret and Derick, ask them to share their story with the rest of the church.

Additional Ideas to Enhance Your Experience

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