Try this one

Group, Jul/Aug 1998

Helpful Hint

JUNK BOX

Help kids get into a worship mode and keep their focus on the Lord by "trashing" their worries before a service or meeting

Create a small, ballotlike box with a slit on top. Have kids "decorate" the outside of it by writing or drawing what burdens them (stress, peer pressure, materialism, problems at home or school, and so on).

Place the box by the door of your youth room or sanctuary, along with a pad of paper and some pens. As kids arrive, they can write everything that's weighing them down, put their "junk" into the box, and forget about it. Make sure everyone knows the one ground rule: No one looks in the junk box-not even leaders-so kids can honestly write what's burdening them.

This idea helps kids "let go and let God," and they love it. Once you start using the junk box, just don't ever forget to bring it!

Miami, Florida

Bible Study

WASHED CLEAN

When you head to a lake, river, or ocean for a summer outing, re-enact this Bible experience and reflect on its meaning for daily life.

You'll need one small stone for every person and a Bible. Gather near the water and read aloud John 8:1-11, about the woman caught in adultery. Then have a female adult volunteer (who's been prepared ahead of time) retell the story from the woman's viewpoint, expressing first her shame and hopelessness and then the joy and wonder that Jesus' words must have brought.

Ask kids to recall sins for which they haven't repented or asked forgiveness. Have them spread out along the shore, close to the water, and each write their sin in the sand. Then read Psalm 51:1-2 and Titus 3:3-5, and remind kids that just as water will wash away the writing, so Jesus' blood washes away their sins. Lead kids in a prayer of repentance. (If waves don't cover the writing right away, have kids cup water in their hands and pour it over their "sins.")

Call everyone back together, and give each person a stone. Discuss the people in the crowd who condemned the woman; then-ask: Do you ever see yourself as a member of this crowd? Why is it so easy to condemn others while ignoring our own sins?

Finally, have kids each think of someone they need to forgive and, if they can, throw their stone into the water symbolizing their readiness to do so. Tell them that if they aren't ready, they can carry their stones as reminders and ask God to help them forgive.

Angela Evans

Shelby, North Carolina

Game (Especially great for middle schoolers)

CLOtHESPIN WAR

You'll need two bags of wooden clothespins with springs (approximately 50 in each bag) and two different colors of bright spray paint. A day ahead of time, paint the pins from each bag a different color.

This game, great for groups of all sizes, is best played outside around dusk or at night. Have kids form two teams, and give each team a bag of clothespins. Have team members divide up their pins evenly among themselves. Flip a coin to decide which team leaves the building first.

The object is to pin your clothespins on members of the other team. Once someone's been "pinned," they aren't allowed to remove the clothespin. If it falls off by itself, however, the person's considered "released" and the pin doesn't count against them.

When someone's been pinned three times, they're out and must go sit on the "clothesline" (the sidelines). The pins on that person's clothing are considered used and must stay there. But if that person has any unused pins, a teammate may use them in the game.

The winner is either the first team to eliminate the other team or the team with the fewest people "clotheslined" after a predetermined amount of time has passed.

Chris Bambrough Easton, Maryland

Publicity

CANDID CAMERAS

Use this idea, adopted from a popular wedding-reception trend, to capture memories and to make publicity a snap! Ask volunteers, staff, or church members to donate disposable cameras for lock-ins, retreats, and special events. Place them at central spots throughout the church or meeting place, and have kids and adult leaders take lots of fun, creative pictures, including great candids. Then use the snapshots for posters and bulletin boards through out the youth room and church.

Katherine Croyle

Petersburg Pennsylvania

Crowdbreaker

WHEELBARROW WORKOUT

Looking for a no-cost, high-energy, seasonal, crowd-pleasing crowdbreaker? Here's one that will challenge kids' teamwork skills and ingenuity.

Ask a local hardware store for several wheelbarrow kits (one for every four or five kids), offering to assemble the wheelbarrows and return them undamaged. Before kids arrive, set up an obstacle course in a parking lot or playing field.

Form teams of four or five, and give each team a kit, complete with parts and instructions. On "go," have teams race to build their wheelbarrows and carry one of their members through the obstacle course and across a finish line.

Afterward, have teams regroup to discuss these questions: -How easy or difficult was it to follow these instructions? What do you like or dislike about working together as a team? What unique qualities or abilities do you bring to a team? How does teamwork apply to living a life of faith?