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Group, Sep/Oct 2002

READYTOGO

9 tried-and-tested relationship-- builders sent in by youth workers-- ready to cut out and file Scheduling a full week of fun activities can be an annual recruiting tradition.

Our youth group takes the "rush week" concept of fraternities and sororities and schedules an entire week with fun activities to attract new members to our group. We schedule our activities for the first week of school, before schedules become overwhelming and before kids become bogged down with schoolwork.

A diverse series of events appeals to a large variety of teenagers. We set up an open-- mike coffeehouse with poetry readings, a goofy golf course, an ice cream social, karaoke night, and a tailgate party followed by an Ultimate Frisbee tournament.

To attract newcomers, we also conduct special promotions and weeklong contests. For example, on Freshman Night we tell kids to "bring a freshman, win a prize!" Our week ends with a big dance and prize giveaway.

At each event, we collect basic information from newcomers, including email addresses, to create an instant contact list. Not only does our rush week expose a lot of young people to our church, but we also get a good idea of which times and types of events work best in our community.

Marlene Wukusick and Mary Mattingly

Batesville, Indiana

PUZZLE BUSTERS

Use puzzles as the key ingredient in a fun and inexpensive group-builder.

During one youth retreat, our kids fell in love with puzzles, so we added excitement by turning puzzle-making into a game.

You'll need three 250-piece puzzles and masking tape. Make a large tape square on the floor, and mix together the pieces of all three puzzles in the center of the square. Form three teams and have each team choose a place in the square to put a puzzle together. Assign each team a different puzzle to complete. Tell teams they have an hour to try and put their puzzles together. Any team caught hiding other teams' pieces will be penalized 10 puzzle pieces. The team with the most pieces put together after an hour wins.

Dustin Sander

Manheim, Pennsylvania

COMMUNITY SNAPSHOT

Use a scavenger hunt to introduce your teenagers to servants in your community.

Before the activity, use an instant-print camera to photograph portions of objects in the communit"uch as half of a food bank sign or part of a community center building. Be sure each object is connected somehow to a person, organization, or business that serves the community so that you encourage teenagers to talk to people who serve others.

At your meeting, form teams of four or five, and give each team a photograph. Tell teams they must find the object in the photograph, and then ask a person related to that object how he or she contributes to the community. If no one associated with the object is available, teams can ask others who might be nearby how the business or organization contributes to the community. When teams return to the church, have them share their discoveries with the whole group. Then have group members pray for each community member they met and ask God to bless his or her contributions to the community.

Randy McKain and Jeff Anderson

Bemidji, Minnesota

MYSTERY VOLLEYBALL

Adding a twist to volleyball will fuel mayhem in your group--the good kind of mayhem.

Set up a volleyball net as usual, either indoors or outdoors. Form teams for volleyball

and play the game as usual, only throw a few large blankets over the net. Be sure the blankets go all the way across the net and down to the floor. Then team members won't be able to see each other moving around or where the ball is coming from. Kids will enjoy the unexpectedness of scrambling for the ball and the added fun this brings to a routine game.

Bobby Von King

Omaha, Nebraska

MUSICAL CHAIRS DRESS UP

(Especially good for junior highers)

Keep group members "in fashion" in this hilarious variation of a classic crowdbreaker.

For this activity, you'll need old clothes, a CD player or radio, and chairs. Set up chairs in a large circle, facing the center. Be sure there is one fewer chair than there are participants. In the center of the circle, place a large pile of old clothes (for example, boots, hats, helmets, suits, sports equipment, dresses, shirts, shorts). You might check with a local thrift store to see if you can borrow some of the more unusual items, then return them to the store after the activity.

Begin the activity just as you would Musical Chairs, with participants walking around the circle until the music stops, then all racing to take a chair. Whoever doesn't get a chair must put on a piece of clothing from the pile in the center. Everyone gets to stay in the game! When all the clothes in the center are gone, have a fashion show!

David and Deb Wood

Hastings, Michigan

OUR FAVORITE RESTAURANT

Raise money and build fellowship in your congregation-with little effort.

This low-energy, high-yield fund-raiser worked well with a large, popular restaurant in our community. Holding the event at a popular restaurant made sales a lot better than hosting a spaghetti dinner. We sent a letter to a local restaurant announcing our intentions for a fund-raiser, asked the restaurant for its participation, and followed up with a meeting. We chose a Mexican restaurant since the money was going to fund a trip to Mexico. The restaurant manager agreed to host a buffet lunch for up to 300 people.