The Responding Community

The Responding Community is year three of a five-year intergenerational program. Sessions within the program can be used independently from the whole. This year's sessions stress the period from the patriarchs to the establishment of the kingdom. It is this period that lays the foundation for the faith of Israel. It is to this period that we owe many of our Judeo-Christian traditions and much of our Christian symbolism.

Inter generational Session	The Responding Community • FIRE Passover Celebration This lesson is meant to give an appreciation of the historic event of the Exodus and some insight into the present Jewish celebration, while calling us to take an active role in the liberation of all people. It is best if used in conjunction with "The Responding Community: Slavery & the Exodus." It requires the use of "The Passover Celebration" by Leon Klenicki. • By Kathleen O'Connell Chesto	View all
Inter generational Session	The Responding Community • FIRE Review of the Year This session is a review of the history of the Chosen People. • By Kathleen O'Connell Chesto		View all
Inter generational Session	The Responding Community • FIRE From Kingdom to Captivity: Israel after the Death of Solomon This experience is designed to offer some insight into what captivity meant in biblical times. • By Kathleen O'Connell Chesto		View all
Inter generational Session	The Responding Community • FIRE David, the Man: The Lives of David & Solomon The purpose of this experience is to help us to understand the humanity of David and to recognize ourselves in his story. • By Kathleen O'Connell Chesto		View all
Inter generational Session	The Responding Community • FIRE Building the Kingdom: Israel Asks God for a King After the period of the Judges, there were no great leaders in Israel. The people asked God to give them a king and a kingdom like the surrounding nations. In this lesson we are going to experience some of the work that might have gone into the preparation of such a kingdom. • By Kathleen O'Connell Chesto		View all
Inter generational Session	The Responding Community • FIRE Israel's War Stories: Joshua, Samson, Gideon, Deborah The purpose of this experience is to understand the futility of war and to become familiar with three of the famous people from this period in Israel’s history. It considers Israel’s understanding of itself: that when we are faithful to God we prosper; when we are unfaithful, there is war and destruction. • By Kathleen O'Connell Chesto		View all
Inter generational Session	The Responding Community • FIRE Convention at the Jordan: Conflicts Following the Death of Moses The purpose of this Scripture experience is to raise awareness in the group of some of the inner conflicts and rebellions that existed among the Chosen People and the crisis that must have been precipitated by the death of Moses and the arrival on the banks of the Jordan. • By Kathleen O'Connell Chesto		View all
Inter generational Session	The Responding Community • FIRE The Covenant Participants will see the necessity for basic moral guidelines in developing a just society. • By Kathleen O'Connell Chesto		View all
Inter generational Session	The Responding Community • FIRE The Desert Experience The desert can be a place where we meet God. This meeting introduces the group to the “desert experience” of contemplative prayer. • By Kathleen O'Connell Chesto		View all
Inter generational Session	The Responding Community • FIRE Year-long Program The entire collection of sessions for year three of FIRE: The Responding Community. • By Kathleen O'Connell Chesto		View all
Inter generational Session	The Responding Community • FIRE Slavery & the Exodus The purpose of this lesson is to help the group understand what it means to be enslaved. To understand the Exodus and Passover, it is necessary to first understand oppression. This lesson is designed to be used in conjunction with "The Responding Community: Passover Celebration." • By Kathleen O'Connell Chesto		View all
Inter generational Session	The Responding Community • FIRE Prophecies, Promises, & Visions: The Messianic Prophecies Participants will understand how Israel’s concept of a messiah grew out of its needs at a specific time in history and the manner in which this prophecy was fulfilled by Jesus. • By Kathleen O'Connell Chesto		View all
Inter generational Session	The Responding Community • FIRE The Favored Son: The Story of Joseph This experience focuses primarily on the need for affirmation and communication in our lives. The story of Joseph is used to highlight the development of these essential skills. This session required reading the story of Joseph ahead of time. Suggested scripture verses can be found on the Take Home sheet from "The Responding Community: The Story of Jacob." • By Kathleen O'Connell Chesto		View all
Inter generational Session	The Responding Community • FIRE The Family Feud: The Story of Jacob This session is meant to foster communication around the difficult problem of family fighting. The Jacob and Esau story is used to point out what a common thing feuding is between siblings, and the fact that God can use anything—even family fights—to fulfill the divine promises. • By Kathleen O'Connell Chesto		View all
Inter generational Session	The Responding Community • FIRE Mission Impossible: The Call of Abraham Throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, we are met time and again with the idea of call. Someone is “called” to do a special work for God. This call is given the name of “election.” This experience examines one of the first families to experience themselves as called, and tries to offer insight and understanding into what it must have felt like to be Abraham and Sarah. • By Kathleen O'Connell Chesto		View all
Inter generational Session	The Responding Community • FIRE The Fall Guy: The Stories of the Fall Participants will have clearer insight into the stories of the origin of sin and a sense of sin's communal nature. • By Kathleen O'Connell Chesto		View all
Inter generational Session	The Responding Community • FIRE Creation Participants will develop an understanding of how the Scriptures were written and an insight into the nature of the creation stories. • By Kathleen O'Connell Chesto		View all
Inter generational Session	The Responding Community • FIRE Covenanting In this session participants will write a covenant together that they will follow for the year. • By Kathleen O'Connell Chesto	View all

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