CL – Cabin Time: Part 2
Open the discussion
Eve Sarrett shares some great tips on setting up and engaging in cabin time. Please note that there are also male head cabin leaders, and that the same principles she discusses apply to male cabins.
It is important to break the ice, to put campers at ease. They need to know that this is a circle of friends having a discussion, not an inquisition or a time to hear the leader talk about themselves. Start with lighter questions that everyone can easily answer with some success, for example, “What surprised you most about today?” This is more critical early in the week. As the week progresses, campers will become accustomed to the deeper discussion that takes place and in fact will often be anxious to jump right into deeper waters.
Ask quality questions
Quality questions draw campers into the discussion. Here are some helpful hints:
- Ask open-ended questions. Instead of asking, “Did you have fun today?” ask, “What was the best part of today for you?”
- Set campers up for success. Ask questions they are able to answer with confidence. For example, instead of asking, “How did the speaker define sin?” ask, “After listening to the talk tonight, how would you define sin?”
A thought to keep in mind: There are three kinds of questions we can ask in cabin time. We can ask fact questions, feeling questions and faith questions. Work to include all three. Examples of them would be:
- Fact question: What jumped out at you from the talk tonight?
- Feeling question: How did it make you feel when the speaker said we were separated from God?
- Faith question: If you were at the cross when Jesus died, where would you see yourself in the picture? As a sceptical soldier, waiting for Jesus to prove himself? As a curious spectator, wondering, who is this man? As the angry thief, mad because God hasn’t made things different for you? Or as the believing thief who asked Christ to remember him when He got to Heaven?
Help campers clarify their thoughts and feelings
Typically leaders talk too much in cabin time. Don’t forget that God gave us two ears and one mouth, so perhaps we should listen twice as much as we talk. Helping young people clarify thoughts and feelings first requires that you listen carefully and then ask appropriate questions. Here are some principles for helping young people clarify:
- Repeat what they’ve said in your own words. “Tell me if I’m hearing you right. I hear you saying that you don’t believe God exists because there is too much pain in the world. Is that right?”
- Ask campers to tell you more. “I think I’m with you. Tell me just a little bit more about what you felt when the speaker told that story.”
- Help identify the feelings behind the words. “When you were talking just now, I seemed to sense you were feeling a little angry. Do you sense any of that going on inside yourself? Why do you suppose this subject makes you feel that way?”
Draw everyone into the discussion
Here are a few pointers that will help keep conversation flowing in cabin time:
- Affirm campers constantly. Smile, make eye contact, and nod your head as they speak. Say, “Thanks for sharing”, when someone has risked difficult information. You can affirm even the most difficult camper making the most negative comment. When he or she says, “Christians are just a bunch of greedy people on TV who steal old ladies pension money,” we say, “I am so glad you are part of this group. You bring up some really good issues that deserve our attention. Let’s talk for a minute about what you just said.”
- Model vulnerability. When you let down your guard, your campers will do likewise. Don’t be afraid to show your humanity. Young people will feel more comfortable with a human leader than a Super Hero. Jesus brought grace and truth. The order of those gifts is worth noting. Grace precedes truth. Reveal your weaknesses and you will bring grace, then campers will be better ready to receive truth.
- Answer questions with questions. Don’t rush in with all the information to answer campers’ questions. Let them wrestle with the process of discovering truth for themselves. When you consistently give instant answers to campers’ questions, the conversation begins to resemble an hour at an information booth with God. Answer questions with questions. When they say, “If God cares so much about me, then why did my parents get divorced?” we say, “That is a great question. Does anyone have thoughts they could share about that?”
- Draw out silent types; tone down talkers. Pay attention to who is sitting silently. Call on them occasionally by name and say, “Sam, you are looking pretty thoughtful over there. What do you think about all this stuff?” On the other hand, campers who are monopolising the time with their comments need to be gently reminded to give everyone else a turn.
When you are asking a question that you are hoping everyone will answer, one strategy that sometimes works is to have an object that is tossed around, like a stuffed animal or a pair of socks. Whoever has the object has the floor. Then that person picks the next person to speak and tosses the object to him or her. Campers always have the right to remain silent, however. They can receive the object, say “pass,” and toss it to the next person to speak. That way they’ve had the opportunity to participate, but they haven’t been forced.
- Recruit the help of Christians in the cabin ahead of time. If you know who the Christian campers in your cabin are, talk to them before the first cabin time and recruit their help. Give them a vision for their part in the process of birthing babies. Ask them to pray, to lead by example and to help make others in the cabin feel comfortable in cabin time (which means we resist the urge to give all the answers or to set others “straight”).
Listen carefully and take notes for future use
It’s worth saying again. We need to listen twice as much as we speak. And as we listen, make mental note of what campers are saying and feeling. Sometime later, you might consider jotting these notes in your journal or notebook. Later in the week, when you are having one-on-one conversations with the young people in your cabin, it will help you to recall specific comments they have made in cabin time. You can use those comments to guide the conversation and to dig deeper into issues of faith.
Further Reading: Short Sheets for Cabin Leaders #7 – #13
