Try this one

Group, Jul/Aug 2003 by Steenbergen, Hilma, Wheeler, Chris, Prange, Denise, LaMaison, John, Et al

READYTOGO

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

GAME

AOL OLYMPICS

Finally! All those junk mail CDs serve a purpose-for Olympic games fun!

Encourage your congregation to save any unwanted America Online CDs they receive in the mail. You can also collect unused or damaged CDs-you'll need a substantial number. When you have enough collected, you can set up the following Olympic events:

* AOLego-Have kids form pairs, and give each pair several CDs, a roll of masking tape, and five minutes to build an original, architectural masterpiece.

* Team Pole Vault-Form two teams, and give each player a pen. Ask kids to stand in line and put their pens in their mouths. Each team must pass CDs from pen to pen until the CDs reach the end of the lines. The team that passes the most CDs in five minutes wins.

* Shot Put It In-Form two teams, and have kids each take one turn trying to toss a disc into a bucket across the room. The team with the most CDs in its bucket wins.

* Broad Jump-Who can Jump over the most CDs lined up on the floor?

* AWOL-Hide CDs for a treasure hunt; write clues on one CD on how to find the next CD. Hide the final CD somewhere near the start of the next game.

* Discus- See who can throw a disc the farthest.

We finished an Olympic-style awards ceremony.

OUTREACH

MINI-MISSION MONDAYS

Use this idea to warm up your teenagers to the idea of mission work.

When I approached the subject of a missions trip with our youth group, the kids were initially resistant, so we chose one Monday each month to conduct a small missions project.

August: Put together back-to-school kits for needy kids

September: Raked leaves for shut-ins

October: Hosted a trick-or-treat party to raise funds for UNICEF

November: Compiled care baskets for five needy families

December: Went caroling at local nursing homes

January: Collected hats and mittens for elementary school kids

February: Delivered candy to shut-ins

March: Organized a March of Dimes fund-raiser

April: Hosted an Easter egg hunt and meal for needy kids

May: Organized a Relay for Life team

June: Hosted a fund-raiser to send a needy child to summer camp We kept up the interest by adding fun to the activities-turning the care-basket activity into a scavenger hunt and including a fast-food progressive dinner between caroling venues.

BIBLE STUDY

SERVING OTHERS, SERVING GOD

Prep your group for a service project or a missions trip with a study based on John 13.

You'll need a sheet, tape, acrylic paint, soapy water, clean water, towels, a CD with Third Day's song "City on a Hill," and a CD player.

Before your next missions trip, paint the name, date, and location of your project at the top of a large sheet and attach it to the wall of your meeting room. Set out the paint and tubs of water. Read aloud John 13:1-5,12-17. Ask a volunteer to dip a hand in paint and leave a handprint on the sheet. Then wash the volunteer's hand, and have that person wash the next person's hand after he or she leaves a handprint. Continue until the last person washes your hand after you leave a handprint. Then ask: How did it feel to have someone wash your hand? To wash someone else's hand? How is leaving your handprint like your role on our trip?

Have trios read the following verses: Psalm 123:1; Matthew 25:40; Colossians 3:23.

Ask: How does the work you do with your hands reflect God's love? How do you serve God as you serve others? What do you hope to give-and receive-on this missions trip? Close by playing the song, "City on a Hill" and praying together silently.

GAME

THREE- DRAW MUSICAL IMPROV

Use students' passion for music to spark creativity and fun!

For this game, you'll need three bowls with slips of paper in each. For the first bowl, write on separate slips different styles of music, such as pop, rock, rap, country, and blues. For extra fun, add "interpretive dance" as one of the music styles. For the second bowl, write on separate slips different children's songs, such as "Mary Had a Little Lamb," "Jesus Loves Me," "The Wheels on the Bus," and "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star." For the third bowl, write on separate slips silly or strange words, such as "chunky," "photosynthesis," "zucchini," "conundrum," and "hootenanny." The stranger the words are, the better!

Form teams of three or four, and have each team draw one musical style, one children's song, and two words. Give teams 15-20 minutes to design presentations in which each team sings the selected children's song, in the selected musical style, incorporating the selected two words into the song. Conduct a talent show with "celebrity" judges who'll decide the overall winner. Be sure to videotape your talent show for endless laughs!

OUTREACH

MALL PRAYERS

Watch how the power of prayer impacts your teenagers when they put this outreach idea into action.

Take your youth group to a public place, such as a mall or an amusement park. Have them separate into groups of three or four, and send each group to a different area of the mall with a small notepad. Encourage them to approach passersby and ask for prayer requests. Some people will turn down your students, but you'll find that a surprising number ] of people are in need of prayer for themselves or for others.