Lumen

Lumen
YFC

Price varies
4.8
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Overview

What does it say on the tin?

Lumen is the ultimate discipleship resource for 11-14s. Its heart is to help young people not just survive as Christians but to thrive, go deep in their growing relationship with God and inspire them to be active in changing the world around them. Lumen is lively and engaging, exploring Christian teaching through a combination of games, interactive activities, discussions, punchy Bible studies and prayer activities. Hundreds of churches use Lumen in a Sunday morning setting, youth house groups or Christian Unions. It is innovatively designed to take the discipleship of young people to the next level. Lumen is the measurement of light and we believe this generation can shine!

A Lumen session provides a structure of approximately 60 minutes’ worth of activities, but is flexible enough to be shortened, lengthened or adapted to fit the needs of your young people. Using Lumen will make a huge difference to your planning time. It will enable you to spend the hours previously taken up by planning youth group sessions in building relationships with your young people or praying for them.

What do you get and how?

This is a subscription based website from YFC at www.yfcresources.co.uk. You have access to hundreds of tried and tested youth group meeting guides. Each guide offers you more than you can use in one session so there is the opportunity to use a session builder to create the perfect session for your young people.
Each session offers a menu choice of icebreakers, games, theme setters, Bible input, activities, responses and challenges. There is a wealth of material to choose from to make these teaching sessions as relevant as possible.

YFC are regularly adding new sessions to this website and they have recommended sessions to use for the term ahead, as well as a list of the most popular used sessions by youth leaders across the country. There are over a hundred different sessions to choose from on issues such as relationships, self image and evangelism as well as Bible focused streams such as exploring a particular book or section of the Bible.

Who is it for?

Lumen is aimed at church based young people aged 11-14 years. It is to help young people understand what it means to be a Christian and to put their faith into action.

Cost?

£10/month (discounts available if subscribing to other YFC resources: Rock Solid and/or Mettle). There is an option to try the site free, which allows you to download 9 sessions per year.

Review

  • What is the overall quality of material presentation?

    This is a fantastic discipleship resource for churches to use. The selection of activities on each topic is impressive and varied. Each element is clearly explained, making the activity selection straightforward. There is a clear list of all materials you will need for each activity so preparation should be straightforward.

    How clear are its aims and outcomes?

    Each session has a clearly defined aim and a longer description, which explains the importance of the session and how it links to other sessions as well as explaining the hoped outcomes. There is also a leader's prayer to pray as you prepare.

    How accessible are the leader's notes?

    The leader's notes are excellent and very clearly laid out. Each activity is explained in a simple bulleted list, giving you a rough idea of how long it will last as well as warning of any preparation that you will need to do. Some activities have files to download to help the activity work or links to YouTube video clips, or similar. These are all easy to access and are produced in a clean, professional manner.

    Who could lead it?

    Lumen is designed to part of a regular discipleship youth group and can be led by any adults who are committed to building relationships with this age group. No experience is necessary to start leading this group but the website does offer access to training ideas and advice.

    How helpful are the participants' resources?

    n/a

    How good is any digital material?

    The website is really well thought through and the session builder is simple to use to tailor make your own sessions. There are links to videos on YouTube which may be a useful option for some groups, as well as links to downloadable resources which are clear and simple.

    How much prep will I have to do?

    This depends on how much you want to make each session unique to your group. Each session has more material than you would want to use so some time would need to be spent selecting the most appropriate elements for your group, but this is a straightforward process and can be down quite swiftly. The interface is user-friendly and you can store sessions and refer back to them at a later date.

    Is there website support? Links?

    The whole resource is web based and you have access to YFC support and advice. The subscription also gives you the benefits of discounted places at Fort Rocky weekends, discount on booking a YFC Mission Team, and access to and discounts for national and virtual training events.

    Is it dated?

    No but there are specific sessions for key Christian festivals such as Easter and Christmas.

  • How well does it encourage interaction with the group?

    All the sessions are designed to run within a group context and to learn together through exploration, discovery and activity, as well as clear teaching from the leaders.

    How well does it cater for a variety of both learning and delivery styles?

    There is a wealth of options for each session and so all learning styles and different types of delivery can be selected, depending on the make up of the group.

    How adaptable is it to my situation?

    Very. The user is offered a menu of session elements to choose from and make their own unique sessions, appropriate for their situation.

    How well does it encourage people to work together in applying the material?

    People are encouraged to discuss their ideas and learning and to learn together.

  • How much of the material is Bible-based?

    All of the sessions are Bible-based and teach biblical principles and help create a firm faith foundation in the young people.

    How well is the biblical material presented and used?

    The Bible passages are relevant and clearly presented and are easy to teach well. The leader can choose which passages are most suited to their group and all the different activities, whether games, discussions, video clips and prayer responses, can all be focused around the biblical passage selected.

    How well does it apply biblical material to everyday life?

    This is a real strength of Lumen. The material is rooted in everyday life and the young people are encouraged to apply what they are learning each week. There are specific challenges that can be set if wished and to explore between sessions.

    Is there a particular theological perspective?

    The material is open to be adapted to the local church setting and is evangelical in nature.

  • How well does it inspire people towards whole-life discipleship?

    Lumen is designed to grow young people in their discipleship. The leaders choose which sessions and themes to use and so can ensure that the programme is rounded. New sessions are being added each term and these also have a good mix of themes and issues.

    How well does it encourage and enable people to grow in their faith?

    Lumen encourages young Christians to be confident in their faith and to live as Christ's witnesses by enabling them to have a better understanding of their beliefs and to be equipped to put their faith into action.

    How well does it stretch faith and vision of God and his purposes?

    The material enables the group to get to know God better and, as they do so, their understanding of God and his purposes has to grow.

    How well does it connect with real life issues?

    Very well. The writers at YFC understand the world of young people well and each session is based in the world of a young person. There are specific issues which can be explored using Lumen including relationships, anger, ambitions and consumerism, to name just a few.

  • How well does it encourage personal evangelism?

    The sessions help young people to practically apply their faith to their everyday lives and so this includes enabling them to be able to share their faith with their friends. There are also some sessions which are designed to invite unchurched friends along.

    How well does it encourage local or network-based community involvement?

    This depends on specific sessions but the overall ethos is about putting faith into action wherever you find yourself. There are specific sessions on community as well church.

    How well does it connect with global issues?

    Some sessions have been written by Tearfund and help the young people have a more global understanding on applying their faith.

    How well does it encourage global mission?

    Emphasis is mostly on the individual and the difference they can make where they currently are.

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