TRY THIS ONE

Group, Mar/Apr 2004 by Kirby, Michael, Akers, Tony, Tusing, Keith, Whitehill, Emily, Et al

COOKIE INVITATIONS TRY THIS ONE: OUTREACH

Use cookies to intrigue teenagers and entice them to your next youth group event.

Purchase a large tub of cookie dough (enough for approximately 100 cookies) at a discount warehouse store or grocery store. You might ask your youth group members to donate a dollar toward your purchase. Ask your youth group or one of your church's adult groups to make the cookies.

Have your youth group members create invitations that include one or two cookies in a bag along with a business-card-sized note that says "Want more?" on one side. On the other side of the cards, list the youth event details: name of the event, date and time, and a contact phone number and email address. As youth group members hand out the cookie invitations after church or at a local teen hangout, encourage them to use the "Want more?" question to generate discussion with recipients.

This outreach activity drew 15 visitors to our youth group in just two weeks, and most of those visitors are now active members.

PLUNGER BALL TRY THIS ONE: GAME

Hilarity quickly replaces competition in this wacky version of Kickball.

You'll need four brand-new plungers, a playground ball, and four bases for this game. Form two teams and start this game just like Kickball, with one team in the outfield and one at bat. Players must follow these rules:

* The pitcher bounces the ball to the barter at home plate.

* Instead of kicking the ball, batters must hit the ball with a plunger.

* Batters run the bases in the opposite direction (clockwise, so first base is third, and so on).

* While they run the bases, players hold a plunger firmly on their heads.

* Right-handed fielders must throw the ball with their left hands, and vice versa.

* A runner is out when he or she is hit below the shoulders with the ball, when a base runner is tagged on a force-out, or when a runner removes the plunger from his or her head while running bases.

The team that scores the most runs during a predesignated amount of time is the winner.

GIANT PINGPONG TRY THIS ONE: GAME

Super-size the smiles with full-action, pingpong fun!

You'll need six Frisbee-type flying disks and one slightly deflated playground ball for this game, which can be played in any open space. You'll also need some kind of barrier, such as tables or a tennis court net. Set up your barrier in the middle of the playing area by lining up tables to form a center line or by hanging a net across the middle at table height.

Form teams of three players. If you have extra players, you can form some teams of four and have those teams rotate out one player after each stoppage of play. Give each player a Frisbee to use as a paddle to hit the playground ball. One team member serves the ball by first bouncing it and then swatting it with a Frisbee. The ball must travel over the center "net" to the opponent's side. The opposing team must then swat the ball back to the other side. Teams can hit the ball with a Frisbee as many times as needed to return the ball to their opponents; however, the ball can bounce on the floor only once between hits. The opposing side scores a point whenever the ball bounces twice between hits, touches the net, or isn't returned. The first team to score five points wins that match.

SERVING UP KINDNESS TRY THIS ONE: OUTREACH

Serving others-literally-can create great publicity for your youth group events.

This is a great way to celebrate the last school day before spring break or Easter, or to celebrate World Kindness Day November 13.

Ask permission from a school administrator to wait tables at lunchtime in the school's cafeteria. Then contact local hardware stores to see if one would donate canvas aprons for your "waiters and waitresses." You can use fabric paint or iron-on transfers to decorate the aprons with your group's logo.

During lunch hour, have your youth group members wait tables in the school cafeteria by clearing trays, collecting trash, and cleaning off tables. They can offer to seat students and make food runs for them. At the end of the lunch hour, have the wait staff hand each "customer" a chocolate candy along with a "bill" on which is printed the details of your next youth group event.

The lunchroom staff will appreciate the extra help, and you'll tap into a wealth of potential new members!

CLIP & USE

TRADING PLACES TRY THIS ONE: DISCUSSION STARTER

Taking a neighborhood tour can enlighten your teenagers about what's really important in their lives.

Before your meeting, scout out the neighborhoods in your area and find the wealthiest, most extravagant neighborhood within driving distance. For your meeting, take your youth group members on a field trip to that neighborhood. Choose several houses and talk about what makes them elaborate and what's interesting about them. (You should avoid choosing a neighborhood where any group members reside.) Then, as you leave the neighborhood, ask everyone to be silent while one volunteer slowly reads the following verses: Psalm 49:16-20; Isaiah 5:9; Matthew 6:1924; John 14:1-4.