| If you have managed to
find a group of live, breathing bodies to do a SoulPerSuit with, congratulations!
While SPS is designed to be enjoyed on a personal level, you’ll
find that discussing the lessons and working on your cards together
as a group will add even greater depth to the experience.
Discussion
Group Leader
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Choose a discussion group leader. This person need not
be a Bible scholar, a seasoned Christian, of a certain age, married,
unmarried, or anything of the sort. All the group leader needs to do
is commit to lead the group for the duration of the study, get some
group discussion rolling, and gather any supplies
that are required for Shuffling the Deck for Groups.
Before
the first meeting
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It would be most helpful to read How to SPS.
This gives you an overview of the SPS process from beginning to end.
If you have group members who have never done or seen SPS, it might
be helpful to print off some card samples from our gallery
to show them, if you do not already have some samples of your own.
Put together a basic set of supplies and contact members about anything
they may need to bring. This is all negotiable. See Supplies
below.
If you are going to get started on the lessons at your first meeting,
then you will want to prepare according to the suggested itinerary
below.
At
The First Meeting
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If a discussion group leader has not been chosen, choose one. The group
can also share leadership responsibilities. Decide how many group members
would like to help with the leadership responsibilities and then decide
who will be in charge each week.
Decide how often you will meet and which lessons of the study you will
cover in those weeks. Check the calendar to
see how long the study is. There may be more lessons to the study than
the number of times you meet. Print off the calendar and the first lesson
and decide which lesson will be covered in each meeting so that everyone
can prepare for each meeting.
Supplies
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Supplies should not prevent you from doing SPS. SPS
is intended to be done with whatever you have on hand. Each group member
is responsible for all of their supplies. Some of the group ice breakers
(Shuffle the Deck) require basic household items
so consider asking group members to donate a few bucks at the beginning
of the study to offset the cost, choose ice breakers that use what you
already have, or raid your kid’s craft box!
See "Do I Need to Buy Anything?"
for a supplies starter kit. If you want to expand the supplies the group
shares at each meeting, pass out the Full
House of Supply Ideas and have participants bring whatever they
would be willing to share with the group the next time you meet. Everyone
usually has some sort of tools or ephemera they are willing to share.
Itinerary
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SoulPerSuit has a very basic procedure that you can
follow at each group meeting:
1. Shuffle the Deck
2. Deal the Cards
3. Play Your Hand
1.
Shuffle the Deck
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Please DO NOT underestimate the importance of this step. “Shuffling
the Deck” for Groups is designed to loosen up your group for discussion,
allow the members to get to know one another better, and (psssst! our
secret agenda) get the creative juices to start flowing before you break
out the scissors and work on your cards. “Shuffling the Deck”
for Groups is an integral part of SPS in a group setting; you will find
that skipping it puts your group at a disadvantage.
Click here to go to a printable list of "Shuffling
the Deck for Groups".
You might also use this time for everyone to share the cards they have
made or completed since your last meeting. Each other's work is very
encouraging and helps stimulate creativity.
2.
Deal the Cards
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This is the body of the study. You, as a leader, should have completely
read through this and answered all the questions in "What
Are You Holding?". When your group meets, discuss the
answers to these questions and then together do the Group Option
provided.
Encourage your group to use a journal to record their answers and insights
during the week. Make notes of any insights or questions you have when
your reading or studying the lesson. Visit the blog to learn what others
are saying about the lesson that week.
3.
Play Your Cards
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This is the time when everyone breaks up and works on their own cards
individually. SPS cards are to express personal application of the lesson.
Make sure you have a copy of the questions provided in "Play Your
Cards". In case someone does not know what they want to make their
card about, they can make their card based on the answer to these application
questions. But it is not required. They are an additional help in coming
up with card application ideas.
Meeting
Frequency (top)
You do not have to meet every week. Meet as often as you are able. Although
many do SPS on their own as an individual study, feedback has told us
that most individuals would have liked to have been a part of a group
meeting at least once - for encouragement.
In between meetings, communicate frequently with your group through
e-mail or a blog. Remind them of meeting dates, to bring the cards they
have made, and to bring any supplies they might like to share with the
group. The most encouraging thing about meeting as a group is sharing
your cards with each other. Always make time for this in your meetings.
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