Try this one

Group, May/Jun 2003

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

GAME

THE FAME GAME

Promote good listening, paying attention, teamwork. . . and tons of fun!

You'll need slips of paper, pencils, and a small basket. Have each person take five slips of paper and write the name of one famous person on each slip. For example, a biblical character, a Christian music artist, an actor, or even a church member. Fold the papers in half and place them in the basket. Have kids form teams of two to four.

For Round 1, have one team member select a paper from the basket and give clues-using multiple-word phrases, gestures, and sound effects-until his or her team guesses the person. Then the team member selects another slip of paper and gives clues. The team's goal is to guess as many famous people as they can in one minute. If a team "passes" on trying to guess a name, that slip of paper goes back into the basket. After the first team plays for one minute, teams keep rotating until all the names have been guessed. At the end of the round, tally 1 point for each name slip and place all the papers back in the basket.

For Round 2, each team member can only use a one-word clue, but they can use as many gestures and sound effects as they like.

For Round 3, team members can't use any words, only gestures and sound effects.

The team with the most points at the end of the third round wins!

Marilyn Nash

Mishawaka, Indiana

OUTREACH

R.A.S. NIGHT

Help teenagers make an impact on their community with random acts of service.

We send postcards to people in our church's neighborhood one week ahead of time to let them know our youth group will be having a Random Acts of Service event. To begin the evening, teenagers gather at the church with cleaning supplies, buckets, and rags. Then we send groups of four or five young people, each with an adult leader, out into the community to ring doorbells and offer to clean whatever needs to be cleaned. (One single mom, who had a particularly bad day, had one of our groups vacuum and help with the groceries.) While many may be skeptical about a group of teenagers offering to clean without pay, most will appreciate the offer. Close your R.A.S. night by having groups go to your local shelter with sandwiches and drinks to simply offer food and a prayer.

This event is a particularly helpful way to follow up a missions trip so teenagers can "bring home" what they've learned.

Tom Stephen

Ventura, California

BIBLE STUDY

PSALM ILLUSTRATION

Draw young people into Psalm 23 by having them visually depict the verses.

Tape a large sheet of newsprint to a wall and hand out markers and scratch paper to groups of two or three. Have everyone open their Bibles to Psalm 23. Assign each group one or two lines, and tell them to create a drawing or symbol that describes each line. After groups practice their drawings on scratch paper, have them each take turns drawing the symbol on the newsprint, in order of the psalm's lines. Be sure groups know that there's no "artistic" pressure; their designs can be quite simple.

When everyone's finished, "read" the psalm aloud by having every group interpret a drawing. Be sure groups don't interpret their own symbols, but rather, have them interpret what others have drawn. Then discuss these questions: How did you decide what to draw for the lines you were assigned? Did drawing this Scripture change your understanding of these verses? Do you think someone who didn't know what we were doing could understand this psalm? Explain. When we read Scripture, how do we know what is really meant?

Close in prayer, asking God to give you clarity about his message whenever your group dives into Scripture.

Carrie Crowell

El Dorado, Arkansas

GAME

TISSUE SNATCHERS

Teenagers will have a "blast" with this fun and easy challenge!

Have your group form pairs, and give each pair a chair with a back, a drinking straw, a party favor (the type that curls and uncurls when you blow in it), and 10 facial tissues.

Have one partner sit straddling the chair, facing its back, with the party favor in his or her mouth. Have the other partner lie on the floor face up, with his or her head at the feet of the other partner. The person on the floor will put a straw in his or her mouth, drape a facial tissue over the top of the straw, and blow the tissue up in the air. The partner in the chair then blows the party favor and tries to snatch the tissue with it.

The team that's captured the most tissues at the end of two minutes wins. See how many teams can finish without hyperventilating!

Bob Pankey

Whittington, Illinois

OUTREACH

MEALS ON WHEELS

Expand your church's potluck or weekly dinner to include shut-ins or the elderly.

If your church serves meals or hosts potlucks on a regular basis, volunteer your youth group to be the "meals on wheels" team for the event. Have teenagers sign up in groups of three or four, with one adult volunteer. Assign one or two groups each week to meal delivery, depending on the demand. Have them set up plates of food and then deliver them to elderly church members or shut-ins in the community. Encourage kids to spend some conversation time with the meal recipients.