Try this one

Group, Mar/Apr 2003 by Marquez, Milton, Bovee, Tammy, Hobson, Tim, Case, Steve, Et al

READY TOGO

9 tried-and-tested relationship-- builders sent in by youth workers-- ready to cut out and file

GAME

FOUR BALL B-BALL

Goodness, gracious, great balls of fun... for all ages and skills!

Use this game when you have a group of teenagers with varying degrees of athletic skill. Play in a gym with basketball hoops, on an outdoor court, or in any large area with two laundry baskets as hoops.

Have kids form two teams, and place a basketball, kickball, soccer ball, and tennis ball in the center of the playing area. If the playing area surface isn't too slick, have all the players take off their shoes and play in their socks. When you start the game, all players can go after the balls in the center and score with any of them. Use the same rules for this game as you would for regular basketball, except that each ball is worth different points: basketball, 1 point; kickball, 2 points; soccer ball, 3 points; tennis ball, 4 points. You may also want to recruit more than one volunteer to referee.

Milton Marquez

Lorton, Virginia

BIBLE STUDY

RULES AND AUTHORITY SO WHAT!

Use a game without rules to help young people understand why rules are important.

Have kids form groups of four to six, and give each group a board game to play. Tell everyone that the rules of the games are as follows: There are no rules, and no one is in charge! After about 10 minutes, have groups discuss these questions:

How does the game change when there are no rules? Why do you think there are rules? What are some rules that protect us? Do you obey those rules? What do you do when you don't like a certain rule? Say: Often rules don't make sense to us. And sometimes the authorities will let us down. We end up confused or frustrated, just like we did with these games. But God didn't plan things that way. He uses rules to protect us. When God sets the rules, he will never let us down.

Read aloud Romans 13:1-7. Then have groups discuss these questions: Does this Scripture change the way you think about rules and authority? Why or why not? What are some situations where you struggle with authority? How can we help each other with these struggles? How can God help us?

Close in prayer, asking kids to pray for specific people in authority, for a healthy attitude toward these people, and for each person's struggles with authority.

Tammy Bovee

Burton, Michigan

CROWDBREAKER

TOP-SECRET MISSIONS

Create a bonding experience for kids with this getting-to-know-you mixer.

Before your meeting, you'll need to come up with one "secret mission" for each member of your group and write it on a 3x5 card. Each secret mission should somehow encourage kids to interact with other group members. Use the following suggestions or create your own: (1) Meet someone new and find out where his or her shoes came from. (2) Compliment five people (be specific and genuine). (3) Find someone who hasn't finished his or her secret mission, and help that person finish it. (4) Give five people a high five. (5) Introduce two people who don't know each other very well. (6) Find something you have in common with three other people (all four of you have the same thing in common). (7) Get someone to sing to you. (8) Meet someone new and learn the names of that person's siblings.

When kids arrive, hand each person a secret mission. Tell them they must secretly accomplish their missions without revealing to the others what their missions actually are. Give group members 10 minutes to complete their secret missions. Afterward, discuss what people learned about each other and whether they succeeded in their missions.

Tim Hobson

Montrose, Michigan

GAME

RAPTOR HUNTER

Kids will love this noncompetitive game based on the Jurassic Park films!

You'll need a softball; a safari hat, pith helmet, or baseball cap; and the soundtrack to Jurassic Park (optional). Play this game in an empty church, gym, or outdoors.

Select one person to be the first Raptor Hunter, and give that person the hat to wear and the Raptor Egg (softball). All other players are Raptors. Gather everyone into one room or area while the Raptor Hunter hides the Raptor Egg somewhere in the playing area, in a somewhat visible spot. After the Raptor Hunter returns to the place where everyone is gathered, give the Raptors two minutes to find their hiding spots, and then begin the game.

Whenever the Raptor Hunter finds a Raptor, both players scream like raptors from the movie Jurassic Park. The Raptor Hunter gives his or her hat to the captured Raptor, and they switch roles. (The screams signal all the players that a switch has taken place.) Give the new Raptor 60 seconds to hide. Hidden Raptors may move if they choose to do so. If any Raptor finds the Raptor Egg, he or she is exempt from being "captured." When an egg-holding Raptor is found and released, the Raptor Hunter must re-hide the egg. Play the Jurassic Park soundtrack as background music. For added fun, try playing the game outside, in the dark, with flashlights! This game has no scoring and can continue for as long as you want to play!