Hands on help: Youth

Group, Mar/Apr 2003 by Christie, Les, Johnston, Kurt, Harris, Matt, McCamment, Tal, Et al

game plan JR. HIGH LEADERS

Games are a staple of youth ministry, but any game can be risky-so ask these questions at the planning stage.

* Is this game likely to harm or damage the self-- confidence of any particular individual? Avoid any game that singles out one person for embarrassment.

* Can this game be played without compromising biblical standards? For example, throw out any game with the potential for immodesty or inappropriate physical contact.

* Does this game have a high likelihood of unifying students through laughter and fun? If so, it's worth considering.

* If it's a gross game, can it be played by volunteers only? For these types of games, always give students the choice to watch rather than participate.

fast company SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE

Introduce the spiritual discipline of fasting into your youth ministry by challenging adult leaders and students to a once-a-month fast.

Invite participants to skip breakfast, lunch, and snacks throughout the day. That evening, have everyone gather for a Prayer, Praise, and Pizza event.

The small sacrifice of giving up food, even briefly, will add greatly to this time of worship and prayer. Be sure to pray specifically for God's blessing and direction for the youth ministry. Afterward have everyone stay for conversation and pizza.

HOT GAMES

tape head

There are two versions of this game, which is fun to play and fun to watch.

Have your group form a number of small teams, then have each team choose one person to be the Tape Head. Have the Tape Heads put nylon stockings over their heads. Then wrap their heads with masking tape, sticky side out-- but make sure they can breathe! (A variation would be to wrap the students' heads only to their eyebrows and over their ears.) The nylon stockings protect the students' hair and skin from the masking tape.

One way to play the game is to have the Tape Heads crawl to an area where an assortment of small, light objects is spread out. Possible objects include small marshmallows, rubber bands, Styrofoam cups, small pencils, or inflated balloons. Tape Heads must lower their heads onto the objects so they stick. Each Tape Head then crawls back to teammates, who remove the objects. This process is repeated for a set period of time, and the team that collects the most objects wins.

The other way to play this game is to have each team stand around its Tape Head, who is seated. On a given signal, team members stick as many of one kind of item as they can on their Tape Head, in a designated amount of time. For example, the items might include shoelaces in 15 seconds, loose change in 12 seconds, foam peanuts in 20 seconds, or cotton balls or swabs in seven seconds. The winning team is the one with the most items on its Tape Head.

Gaming Tips

As a rule of thumb for many games, you'll need about one referee for every 20 students.

* Pick referees who are fun-referees who'll enhance the game and who understand that rules are only guidelines to make the game more enjoyable. Don't select referees who view themselves as authority figures whose main function is to enforce the rules to the letter of the law. Referees like this will find every type of minuscule mistake-they belong in the National Football League, not in your youth group.

* Select referees who can help equalize the game, so that if one team is desperately behind, the referees can become more observant of the winning team or award "spirit points" for the losing team's enthusiasm.

* Have the referees wear striped jerseys or fluorescent jackets. And make sure they're familiar with the game so they don't have to keep referring to the game description.

Les Christie is chair of the youth ministry department at San Jose Christian College and an international speaker, author, and game guru.

JR. HIGH MINISTRY

the parent trap

Early in my ministry career, I was younger, cooler... and a lot more arrogant. I didn't think that I needed kids' parents. After all, they were too old, too conservative, and too, well, too parental! A few harsh lessons and several years later, I've discovered that parents' involvement, influence, and support are crucial.

In our ministry, about one-third of our adult volunteers are parents of junior highers. Parents lead small groups, go to camp with us, help us build houses in Mexico, lend us their Suburbans and summer homes, and so much more. In fact, as I write this column, Karen Spain, a parent of one of our eighth-grade girls, is spending her afternoon shopping for our weekend program. We have an unusually high amount of parent support and involvement in our ministry because we've earned their trust.

Here's how you can do the same.

Stick around awhile-Trust is earned over time.

Talk it up-Keep parents informed.

Welcome their input-They're gonna share their opinions with someone; it might as well be you!

Act like an adult-Ouch, that one hurts a little.

Work with them, not against them-Don't undermine their authority with their children.

Be mindful of the "little things"-Return from trips on time, have plenty of release forms, return phone calls, and so on.