A PRACTICAL THEOLOGY OF... A MAGNETIC YOUTH ROOM

Group, Jul/Aug 2005 by Surdacki, Walter

MAKE IT A SAFE...REFUGE

God had Moses stand in the cleft of a rock so that he could witness some of God's glory as he passed by (Exodus 33:18-22). The cleft was a sanctuary-a safe place to experience God as he really is. It's easy to forget how our young people get beaten and bruised throughout the week by harsh words and experiences at home, school, and on the playing field. When's the last time you sat in a high school desk for six hours, disciplining yourself to pay attention 90 percent of your day? When's the last time someone threatened you or conspired to ruin your reputation?

When your kids enter your youth room, they're looking for a sanctuary-a cleft in the rock that can enclose them and help them experience God's grace.

* Create a prayer corner piled with carpets, pillows, Bibles, and journal pages. Encourage your kids to arrive early and spend alone time with God before youth group-it's like visiting an oasis in the desert.

* Buy wallpaper that's made out of whiteboard material and create a "prayer wall." Pile a few dry-erase markers so teenagers can scribble prayers on the wall. You could divide the wall into separate sections: "lamentations," "cries of help," "needs," and "praises."

* Set up a mailbox for "warm fuzzies." Ask your kids to write encouraging notes to each other and put them in the box. Hand out the notes after youth group so your teenagers leave on a positive note.

MAKE IT INHERENTLY...FUN

A youth room is a place for fun. Jesus said he came to give us life-abundant life (John 10:10). Recreation is integral to a healthy, balanced Christian life. You don't have to mount Napoleon Dynamite or Spongebob Squarepants posters on your walls to communicate fun. But your room must have the space (and the stain-resistant carpet) to accommodate general wackiness. Quality time happens in the context of a quantity of time spent together having fun and laughing-your room can either help or hinder fun.

When your youth room is empty and quiet, sit down in the middle of it and soak in the environment. Is your room theologically balanced? Ask God that question, and then see what he shows you.

1 If you missed the "Total Makeover" article and you're a group subscriber, you can read all about it in our archive. Just go to www.groupmag.com and click on the Back Issue Archive link on the left. Then enter your subscriber number (found on your mailing label) and you're in. Go to the May/June 2005 issue and click on the article.

2 For more on the family imagery that infuses the Bible's description of the church, go to Galatians 6:10; Ephesians 3:15; and I Peter 4:17.

WALTER SURDACKI is a veteran youth and family minister in California. He enjoys taking his wife out to dinner, snowboarding, music, the beach, and leading his two daughters on a quest for the perfect doughnut. You can reach him at surdacki@gmail.com.