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Group, Mar/Apr 2005

GLOW BASKETBALL TRY THIS ONE: GAME

Here's how to set up glow-in-the-dark basketball fun for your teenagers!

For this game, you'll need a glow-in-the-dark basketball (about $20), four glow-in-the-dark necklaces, and enough glow-in-the-dark bracelets for each group member to have one. You'll need to purchase two colors of bracelets and necklaces to identify two different teams.

Form two teams and give players their glow-in-the-dark bracelets. Use duct tape to attach two necklaces to each basketball hoop in your gym. Turn off the lights and play basketball with these additional rules: No rough play is allowed and there's no out-of-bounds.

After the game, spend time talking about being a beacon of light in a dark world. Make sure to point out that the ball only glows in the dark after it's spent time in contact with a light source, and the bracelets only glow if they're broken so the chemicals can react. This corresponds to two spiritual truths: We can only reflect Jesus if we spend time with him, and our wills must be broken before we can be the light of Christ. We used these Scripture verses for our discussion time: Matthew 5:14-16; Ephesians 5:8-10; Philippians 2:14-15; and 1 John 1:5-7.

JENNIFER and SOLANO DE ARAUJO Bronson, Michigan

MONOPOLY PURSUIT TRY THIS ONE: CROWDBREAKER

Kids will use every room in your church building for this large-group trivia game.

You'll need to make a game board similar to a Monopoly game board and designate each room or area in your church as a "property." Color-code rooms into groups of three, similar to Monopoly properties. You'll also need to create a list of trivia questions and place a volunteer in each room with one of the questions.

Have players form teams of five to seven people, and give each team a playing piece, a scorecard, and a map of the game board. Teams will roll dice, advance their playing pieces on the game board, and then proceed to the corresponding "property." Tell the players that the object is to make it to every room and answer all the trivia questions correctly.

Teams score 10 points for a correct answer on the first try, five points for the second try, and one point for the third try. After each correct answer, teams will return to the game board to advance to another property. If a team answers all three color-grouped properties correctly on the first try, the team scores 50 points.

Play for a set time and declare the highest-scoring team the winner, or play until a team answers all the questions.

BRYAN JOHNSTON North Bend, Oregon

CELL PHONE CELEBRATION TRY THIS ONE: OUTREACH

Here's an awesome way to turn annoying cell phones into instruments of outreach.

Are you frustrated that ringing cell phones interrupt your student worship service, regardless of how many times you ask kids to turn off their phones? Turn this situation to your advantage by first asking teenagers to turn them on! If some students don't have cell phones, tell them to partner with someone who does.

Ask participants if they have one person's number programmed into their phones who isn't attending the worship service with them. Then tell everyone to call these people and ask them to hold on for a few seconds. After everyone has connected with someone, tell the entire group to yell, "We miss you here!" Then tell participants to say goodbye, hang up, and turn off their cell phones.

Not only did we have instantaneous outreach to 130 people, but we didn't have a single cell phone ring after that!

BENNY BOWMAN Pell City, Alabama

MYSTERY DINNER TRY THIS ONE: OUTREACH

(Especially good for junior highersj

Treat students and their friends to a dose of mystery-food fun with a pinch of Bible lesson!

Ask kids each to invite a friend to a special youth group dinner. Before serving dinner, give each guest a "menu" with instructions to choose items from the list (below), until they've selected four items for each of the dinner's four courses. Let kids know that they'll have to clear their plates entirely before the next course. Kids will have to guess what their mystery-course items are. Use these descriptions on your menu: (1) Mud Slide, (2) Marble Slab, (3) Butcher's Special, (4) Eve's Temptation, (5) Hummingbird Nectar, (6) Surrender's Standard, (7) Paving Stones, (8) Chilly Shake, (9) Pick of the Meal, (10) Snake Eyes, (11) Chop Sticks, (12) Layered Delight, (13) Sam's Spade, (14) Peter's Choice, (15) Two Rivers Divide, and (16) Dairyland Dice.

After kids have taken a guess at their course items, serve dinner: (1) ice cream, (2) garlic bread, (3) table knife, (4) apple slices, (5) juice, (6) white napkin, (7) cookies, (8) gelatin, (9) toothpick, (10) olives, (11) carrot sticks, (12) lasagna, (13) spoon, (14) salad, (15) fork, and (16) cheese cubes.

Kids who don't have forks or knives for certain courses can improvise. Between courses, intersperse get-acquainted games or object lessons.

REBECCA GROSENBACH

Colorado Springs, Colorado

WARNING LABEL TRY THIS ONE: BIBLE STUDY

Use silly warning labels as inspiration for teenagers to reflect on their commitment to Christ.