Hands of help: Youth

Group, May/Jun 2003 by Christie, Les, Johnston, Kurt, Argue, Steve, Livermore, Dave

cross messages OUTREACH

Carry a message of faith and support to those in need with a special gift-a cross that's been blessed by youth group members' prayers.

First of all, you'll need a supply of simple crosses with chains or necklaces (yarn or leather is fine). If possible, find a church member who can carve small, wooden crosses for you. Then the idea is to identify someone in need-it could be someone who's been hospitalized, or anyone-young or old-who's in a crisis situation. Preferably, it should be someone known to the youth group.

At your meeting, have everyone form a circle, and while you hold the cross, offer a prayer for the person in need. Then pass the cross around the circle. As people each receive the cross, have them tell something about a time when God helped them through a difficult situation. (How much is shared will differ with each person.) Also have people each think of one particular blessing that God gave them during that time (for example, hope, strength, peace, and so on) and ask God to be present in the same way to the person being prayed for.

Soon afterward, representatives from the group should present this cross to the person in need and explain the prayer process. Not only do young people reach out to those in need, but they also discover the many ways that God has been faithful to those in the youth group.

pop-in follow-up JR. HIGHERS

Prepare notes for those who've visited your junior high ministry, and have students and adult leaders sign them. Then create gift packages by combining the notes with microwave popcorn and video rental coupons.

Each Tuesday grab one of your students after school, and deliver the gifts to guests from the previous week's youth group meeting. This can be a great way to thank them for "popping in" at your last meeting and to invite them to the next one.

HOT GAMES

penny in a balloon by les christie

For this game idea you'll need enough pennies and balloons for everyone in your group. Use 11-inch, clear latex balloons (the kind you can see through).

Select balloons that are made for use with helium. They're thicker and last longer than typical party balloons. Most people don't realize that you can put things inside balloons (marbles, small candies, pingpong balls, or anything that rolls around or makes noise).

My favorite is a penny, which will roll around the inside of the balloon when the balloon is rotated. By using clear latex balloons, you can watch the penny spin. Put the penny inside the deflated balloon. If the balloon neck is too thin, insert your fingers on either side of the neck. Stretch the neck and drop the penny in. Then inflate the balloon and tie it off. Warning: As you blow up the balloon, be sure to hold it downward so the penny doesn't roll back into your throat Holding the balloon with one hand over the top, begin to rotate your wrist. At first the penny will bounce around inside the balloon. If you keep going, eventually the penny will flip onto its edge and begin rolling around the interior surface. Once it gets going, stop rotating your wrist and hold the balloon with one hand over the top or bottom-the penny will zoom around on its own for up to a minute. See which student can keep it going the longest.

Gaming Tips

Everything you always wanted to know about balloons:

1. Buy balloons in stores that specialize in balloons. Look up "balloons" in the Yellow Pages-you may be surprised at how many stores there are.

2. Stretch balloons before blowing them up. It makes them easier to inflate.

3. The higher the quality of the balloon, the harder it is to inflate because better balloons are made of thicker latex. The good news is they last longer.

4. When it's cold, balloons are harder to inflate. But when it's hot outside, the opposite is true. When it's hot you can easily overexpand a balloon and pop it.

5. You can tell when a balloon is inflated to full capacity because it gets rather transparent, and you can feel the tightness of the latex.

6. If you're playing rough games with balloons, they'll take more abuse if they're underinflated.

7. Most people know the basics about tying off a balloon once it's inflated. But there's a trick to it: After inflating the balloon, hold the neck in one hand, pinching it shut between thumb and first finger. With your free hand, stretch the neck up and twist it a few times. Then tie it off. The twisting keeps the air from escaping after it's tied.

JR. HIGH MINISTRY

volunteer leaders

Perhaps some of you who are reading this column aren't the leader of your junior high ministry. If you happen to be a volunteer, I want to say thank you! Junior high ministry wouldn't happen without you.

Whenever I'm asked who the most effective volunteers are, my answer is always the same. The best volunteers in our junior high ministry are those who are leaders among leaders: the ones who lead from the middle. Some tips on how to do this:

Support the leader publicly: Who do you report to? Who's ultimately responsible for the direction of the junior high ministry? A great way to lead from the middle is to always support that leader in public. It's okay to disagree with him or her, but be sure to express your disagreements in person and in private.