New Easter Skit for 2012: Jerusalem Gazette Read and use this new skit to be performed at our Easter Dawn Service on Fire Island , New York Click: Jerusalem Gazette

" The ideas here work. I know that because I’ve seen them work. Every one has been teen-tested."...Frank Tangredi, youth leader, New York See more reviews of Not the Same Old, Done-it-before Youth Meetings. click:Not the Same Old, Done-it-before Youth Meeting (the book)

Messages from Mattpaul Matthew 28: 19-20 "Go yo, therefore an teach all nations ... and lo, I am with you always even to the end of the world." Recently a youth , Mattpaul wrote ..."It was good reading your electronic news today. The book, the Bible, I am not familiar with. Many people talk about Christian youth and the man Christ. I would like to learn more". Later he writes, " I live with my parents on Lake Gael, Caperston. I am in my second to last year of school". There is a man,Chihaysu... "this man talked about another ruler who did not live with us but was everywhere." Read more of Mattpaul very intereting correspondences Click: Messages of Mattpaul

Pipeline: activity from the state of Texas Pipeline Purchase one 8-9 foot section of 2 pvc pipe and haveave someone carefully saw the pvc pipe long ways in half. Cut the pieces of pipe into sections 12 to 18 inches long. You’ll use three ping pong balls for the project and a basket (like a pen/pencil holder) will be used for the end of the line container. When starting the event, all you tell the group is: Here’s the objective: three ping pong balls go from me to the bucket Three rules: ping pong balls cannot stop, go backwards or be touched Here’s starting point A (where you are standing) and there’s the goal (small basket/box sitting on a chair – some feet away). Say, your resources are these (dump the pipes out of a bag). Then say, “go”. Watch them look around like there’s more details (don’t tell them, just repeat the objective, three rules). Someone will get the point of lining up and holding the pipe just right. Watch as a leader emerges. Ideas are suggested and frustration may set in. When the youth ask you for details or ask “will this work”, just say, remember the objective and the 3 rules ... now go for it! The youth usually start by standing all on the same side (crowded). After a couple of times, you might ask, “does everyone have to be on the same side? (no, they can alternate sides). The youth usually start the pipeline high, only to learn that the ball picks up too much speed and pops out of the run. Ask them, “What’s the problem?” Why did the ball pop out? ( Was it too much speed, too much of a decline) [Note for leaders: all you need is a 1 degree tilt. The pipe has to be laid just under the next section for an even flow.] The youth will figure out the kinks. Once there has been success, talk about the project,the project's objective, its rules, the limited details given. Try to0 identify how problems were solved, how decisions were made. Share observations about communication,leadership and team work. For more of a challenge, begin the starting point further back than what the pipe will go. The people at the beginning will have to run to the other end, line up and continue the pipeline. Purchase one or two pieces of two inch elbows to add some variety. Editor's note: click here for more ideas from the state of Texas. http://www.tlcyouthservices.net

Ideas for Christian Youth Groups ... "I think this book is really good and helpful.I first read the online version of the book because I did not want to pay for it. But after reading a couple of program ideas and having a very very successful youth program I totally HAD to get this book. It is well worth the money." Thanks, Jo. "Not the Same Old, Done-it-before Youth Meetings" now available for immediate download on Kindle. See more reviews of Not the Same Old, Done-it-before Youth Meetings. click:Not the Same Old, Done-it-before Youth Meeting (the book)

8 ... Ha Ha "Ha ha" game. Youth stand in a circle. One youth is designated to begin. He or she turns to the next youth and states "ha" while staring into their eyes. There are no restrictions as to how to say "ha". It can be stated loudly, softly, drawn out, sung, anyway the speaker feels he can induce laughter in the listener. If the speaker or the listener laughs (even a little giggle), he or she is out. The recipient then turns to the next youth and states/sings "ha ha". The game continues to "ha ha ha", "ha ha ha ha" and finally "ha ha ha ha ha", before going backwards - four "ha's" - three "ha's" and the like. Continue around the circle until all but one person is left who, then, can be crowned "stone faced champion". The game is equally fun for those who have gone out as they watch their friends try to induce laughter in others. "Ha ha" is a good game to get everyone engaged and often can set the tone for active discussion afterwards. We would love to hear if this activity was useful to your group. Please share your experience by writing to: Tim Ferguson. Return to Index

11 ... Bombs Away This is a game we used in conjunction with the event 'Trust and Prayer' described above under the category 'Activities that teach'. It is listed here as it can be used simply as an activity for fun apart from the more serious event or as part of the above activity. Find a space in your youth area about four feet wide by twenty feet long. Use some tape to mark this game area out clearly. Take six or seven pieces of construction paper and randomly place them in the area that's been marked off. Break your group into two teams. Each team is to pick a 'guide' who will direct teammates down the four foot by twenty foot corridor while they are blindfolded. Blindfolded youth must walk from one end of the corridor to the other end without touching the tape boundaries or any of the bombs (pieces of construction paper). Use a stop watch to record the duration of each youth's effort. When a youth steps on a bomb or on or past a tape boundary, hit a pot with a spoon or make some such loud noise simulating a bomb going off. Record the number of times errors are made. Total the times needed for each team to walk the maze and add ten seconds for each time a bomb goes off. After each youth attempts to traverse the maze, change the locations of the construction paper so that no one can memorize the locations of the bombs. The total team time plus the penalty seconds will determine the winning team. See the activity entitled 'Trust and Prayer' for discussion ideas regarding this activity. Whether you use this activity on its own or with Trust and Prayer, we would love to hear if this activity was useful to your group. Please share your experience by writing to: TimFerguson@christianyouthgroup.org. Return to Index

Brandon Slay has done what few athletes have accomplished: win an Olympic gold medal. For most athletes, winning an Olympic gold medal might be the ultimate achievement and signal an end to their journey. However, for Brandon Slay, his journey still continues as he remains on a quest for "Greater Gold". For more stories on Cybernetic Light, including the story of Paige... click: More Stories

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We must bolster the faith of our young people by demonstrating that they are not alone ... Our young people need other young people to correspond with about matters of faith. Click: Join Bible Pen Pals: today

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NEED WASHING?? A little girl had been shopping with her Mom in Target. She must have been 6 years old, this beautiful red haired, freckle faced image of innocence. It was pouring outside. The kind of rain that gushes over the top of rain gutters, so much in a hurry to hit the earth it has no time to flow down the spout. We all stood there under the awning and just inside the door of the Target. We waited, some patiently, others irritated be cause nature messed up their hurried day. I am always mesmerized by rainfall. I got lost in the sound and sight of the heavens washing away the dirt and dust of the world. Memories of running, splashing so carefree as a child came pouring in as a welcome reprieve from the worries of my day. The little voice was so sweet as it broke the hypnotic trance we were all caught in 'Mom let's run through the rain,' she said. 'What?' Mom asked. 'Lets run through the rain!' she repeated. 'No, honey. We'll wait until it slows down a bit,' Mom replied. This young child waited about another minute and repeated: 'Mom, let's run through the rain,' 'We'll get soaked if we do,' Mom said 'No, we won't, Mom.. That's not what you said this morning,' the young girl said as she tugged at her Mom's arm. This morning? When did I say we could run through the rain and not get wet? 'Don't you remember? When you were talking to Daddy about his cancer, you said, 'If God can get us through this, he can get us through anything!' The entire crowd stopped dead silent. I swear you couldn't hear anything but the rain. We all stood silently. No one came or left in the next few minutes. Mom paused and thought for a moment about what she would say. Now some would laugh it off and scold her for being silly. Some might even ignore what was said. But this was a moment of affirmation in a young child's life. A time when innocent trust can be nurtured so that it will bloom into faith. 'Honey, you are absolutely right. Let's run through the rain. If GOD let's us get wet, well maybe we just needed washing,' Mom said. Then off they ran. We all stood watching, smiling and laughing as they darted past the cars and yes, through the puddles They held their shopping bags over their heads just in case. They got soaked. But they were followed by a few who screamed and laughed like children all the way to their cars. And yes, I did. I ran. I got wet. I needed washing. Circumstances or people can take away your material possessions, they can take away your money, and they can take away your health. But no one can ever take away your precious memories...So, don't forget to make time and take the opportunities to make memories everyday. To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven. I HOPE YOU STILL TAKE THE TIME TO RUN THROUGH THE RAIN. We would love to hear if this activity was useful to your group. Please share your experience by writing to: Tim Ferguson. Return to Index

Activities That Teach

New Year Gift Giving Activity We have told our young people that there is much more to gift giving that the presentation of a physical gift. Below is an exercise we have done which is suggested for the New Year. Prepare two lists. One should be written on a chalk board or something in view of the entire group. It lists types of gifts young people can give. Here is our list: Be a good listener. Show and demonstrate trust, including stating that you trust. Follow any directions given. Do something unexpected for the person. Share with the person the hope your faith in God gives you. Offer to do something personally with the person in the near future. Tell the person you are praying for them and do so. Only when truly needed, give an actual physical gift. The second list is not written as a list but each person is identified on separate pieces of paper. It is a list of those to receive the New Year’s gifts listed above. Our list included the following individuals: a teacher, a child that is picked on (bullied),a homeless person,a younger brother or sister,a parent, a best friend, a minister or Sunday school teacher, an older brother or sister, a missionary. The activity: Break the group up into smaller groups of between three and five youth. If there are enough adults present, have an adult join each group to keep it focused on the topic at hand.Have a representative of one of the groups pick one of the above individuals randomly and read the description of the person. Each of the small groups is to discuss which of the above eight gifts should be given to the individual chosen. Pick two to three gifts and prioritize which would be most important to give. Once the choices are made, have each group share what they decided. Compare the choices made and discuss. When we did this activity the discussion went on for some time and we only had time to discuss choices made for three individuals. We will do this activity again at a later date. If you find this activity helpful, please consider the book, “Not the Same Old, Done-it-before Youth Meetings”. For 360 pages of similar activities. Click:Not the Same Old, Done-it-before Youth Meeting (the book) Youth Activities to read reviews of the book by fellow youth workers. We would love to hear if this activity was useful to your group. Please share your experience by writing to: Tim Ferguson. Return to Index

Where Can We Find you, God? Announce that the evening will call for an exploration of the question “Where can we find you, God?” Begin by reading Psalms 121: 1-2 “I will lift up mine eyes to the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” Point out that the Psalmist in this reading finds God by looking to the hills, the mountains. It is clear that he is looking at a substantial hill (or mountain) as he describes himself as looking up to it. Now read from I Kings 19: 11-12. Before reading explain that Elijah has just run away to a cave out of fear for his life. He is inspired to stand on the top of a mountain and the passage reads, “the Lord passed by and sent a furious wind that split the hills and shattered the rocks – but the Lord was not in the wind. The wind stopped blowing and then there was an earthquake- but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake there was a fire – but the Lord was not in the fire. After the fire there was a still, small voice of God. Discuss the differences between these two observations of God. Ask the youth to share places or circumstances where they felt the presence of God. When we recently did this event here were some answers: In the face of a new born baby. While working at a local soup kitchen feeding the homeless. Feeling the safety of the presence of God in the church during worship. While viewing the vastness of the ocean. While reading certain scripture passages. While praying. Retell the story of Jacob from the book of Genesis. Highlight the following events: When Jacob and his twin Esau are young men, Esau comes to Jacob’s house very hungry after a long day of work. Jacob has been making a stew. Instead of simply giving his brother some stew, Jacob makes a deal with him. He will give him stew if Esau gives up his birthright as the oldest of the twins. Esau is so hungry that he accepts. Jacob, while his father is dying, pretends he is Esau so he can receive his father’s special blessing. Due to these actions, Jacob has to leave their home. Jacob while travelling has a vision of angels going up and down a ladder from heaven to earth. Jacob goes to live with Uncle Laban and meets his match in an equally deceitful individual. Jacob has a wrestling match with God. Finally he understands the call God has for his life. For the purpose of this lesson, read Genesis 28: 20-21. After seeing the vision of the angels on the ladder, Jacob declares “Lord is in this place”. Jacob then says the following to the Lord, “if you will protect me on my journey, give me food and clothing, if I return safely home … then you will be my God”. Ask the youth what would be their reaction to the sight of a ladder going from heaven to earth with angels walking up and down it. Would they respond by asking more from the Lord in order to be believers? Or would they, in awe, call out to the Lord in prayer thanking him for this revelation? Or perhaps there will be a different reaction. Ask the youth if they ever bargained with God. Admit that we probably all do. Here are some examples: If you help me pass this examination, then I will be a more faithful follower. If I get into my college of choice that people think is a “reach”, then I will be a more faithful follower. If I get the promotion at work that I have been hoping for, then I will be a more faithful follower. Haven’t we all been tempted to make such conditional wishes to the Lord? How different are we than Jacob at these times? Now review the rest of Jacob’s life after his vision of the ladder between earth and heaven. Point out that he only fully understands faithfulness in the Lord after the wrestling match he has with God. Ask the question, do we have to have a wrestling match or some extraordinary event in our lives, to take the call of God for our lives seriously. Note that a discussion answering the question, “Where do I find you, God?” becomes most meaningful when the question extends itself to: Once I find you, how does this experience change my life? For those who have purchased the book, “Not the Same Old, Done-it-before Youth Meetings”, turn to page 343 and read the story “The Brick”. The message of this story and its application to this lesson will be clear. If you have not and find this activity helpful, please consider the book, “Not the Same Old, Done-it-before Youth Meetings”. For 360 pages of similar activities. Click:Not the Same Old, Done-it-before Youth Meeting (the book) Youth Activities to read reviews of the book by fellow youth workers. We would love to hear if this activity was useful to your group. Please share your experience by writing to: Tim Ferguson. Return to Index

Bibles for you and me... "For engraved children's bibles and Lifepac homeschooling material, visit Bibleco.com!"

Miss Inner Beauty Another suggestion from our friend Zwelethu Kos in South Africa ... "The most memorable event we have each year is a beauty contest we call Miss Inner Beauty. As part of the event we had drama performances, poetry readings, prophetic praise and worship, dance and, of course, the Word of God preached by one of our young people. It was great. At every youth session we had, the Lord did something fresh and memorable." Thanks for your suggestion, Zwelethu. Do you have a winner from the past that will qualify for the Christian Teen Hall of Honor? Please send a brief description to timferguson@christianyouthgroup.org. Return to Index

Banana Lesson Here's a suggestion from a youth leader in Nebraska... " I like to get our youth thinking by doing hands-on activities. Here is a favorite. I break the group up into groups and give each group a banana and tell them to cut it up. Then I give them tape, tacks and glue and ask them to put it back together again. After attempting this impossible task, we stop to discuss how hard it is to redo errors that we make. Sometimes they cannot be redone... so it is wise to think carefully about the consequences of things we say or do before taking action". Thanks for your suggestion, Brandi Return to Index

More activities that will bring out the inner beauty of our young people. Our youth leader friend from Mexico City shares the following: I can surely presence God's work in the author, Tim, through all these years in youth ministry and it's definitely a one in a million book. Jose Carlos, Youth Worker, Mexico City, Mexico Since longer, interactive Bible lessons can't be placed on this website, here is the resource of which Jose speaks: Activities for Christian youth

Projector Review: for those of us not quite fully in the computer age! I always wanted to make use of a projector in my youth program so, when I was asked to try the BenQ Joybee GP1 Mini Projector, I agreed I was looking for something effective and simple to use. I found the picture quality of the Joybee to be good at close range with a projected screen of about four by three feet. I have every reason to believe that it will function at higher size screen. The Joybee GP1 has many admirable features including a feature to adjust the colors of your photos/videos depending upon the surface the picture is projected upon. This will be of great assistance to our youth program as we do not have a white wall available for presentation. The focusing is an easy manual operation. The Joybee is small and compact which is a great asset for we youth leaders when we carry multiple items in preparation for our youth programs. When I agreed to take on this task of reviewing the Joybee GP1, I was hoping to be able to say that operating the device was easy to learn even for someone with limited technical knowledge like myself. At first this was not the case. Then a friend pointed out that you had to wire everything up without turning the computer on. Once accomplished then turn on the Joybee and let it start searching for the video signal from the computer. Once this happens then turn the computer on. When I tried this sequence, the BenQ Joybee worked very well. It is suggested that BenQ add this advice to the manuals which they distribute. In summary, if you are looking for a compact device that appears to have good picture quality then the Joybee GP1 Mini Projector is worth investigating. Just remember the advice of my friend – wire up first, turn BenQ on and, lastly, turn your computer on. For further information on the BenQ Joybee Projector, click ... BenQ Mini Projector Return to Index

7 ... Trust and Prayer Thanks for Christian Youth Group Activity Hi Tim, I did Trust and Prayer with my youth group about a year ago and it was a great experience... It is still difficult to get them to pray aloud sometimes, and our group has changed a bit since then, but it was an awesome experience to see the light of the candles filling the room and how each person and each light and each prayer was important and meaningful. Thanks for the great ideas!! ... Ashley, 2009 Begin by presenting the following scenario. You have come to youth group and are facing a difficult situation and need someone to talk to whom you can trust. Ask youth to raise their hand if there is one person in youth group (not counting adults) whom you feel comfortable talking to. Then ask how many have two, three or four people they can so trust. Take time to discuss what makes people trustworthy. In our group the following were the most common characteristics mentioned: being a good listener, not being judgmental and having had a positive trusting experience in the past. Now play the game entitled "Bombs away" described in "Activities for Fun" later on this web page. Afterwards ask youth how they felt when their guide was not able to steer them successfully through the bombs. When did they begin to lose trust? Most of our youth maintained trust through the first error but the second time they stepped on a bomb they reported a loss of trust which increased if there were subsequent errors. Read Proverbs 3:5. Discuss how difficult it is to trust in the Lord with all your heart and not to depend on your own understanding of things. Now take time to ask youth to share one thing that they would like to see changed. The change reported could be about themselves, the youth group, their families, their school or the world. Point out that sharing such important things requires a trust in each other. As youth share their thoughts, take time to briefly discuss the requests made then record them. Ask youth to sit "Indian style" in a circle. Have some small candles available that can be held, one for each youth. Read the requests for change that have been recorded. Now advise youth that we will pray for these as follows. A youth leader will light a candle and pray referencing at least several of the recorded requests for change. Once the leader has completed his or her prayer, youth are invited to light a candle of their own and pray. The list of things to be changed is made available for those who need it. After a couple of candles have been lit extinguish the lights in the room. When we did this one of our youth asked, "Do you mean pray out loud?" and I replied "Yes, that is what trust is all about". Though only an eighth grader, he was willing to participate. When all youth, who wish to participate, have prayed, the youth leader should say a concluding prayer and then ask youth to see how their candles have brightened the room. Advise that our prayers bring light and hope to people. Extinguish the candles one by one noting the contribution each youth's candle made to overcoming the darkness of the room. We would love to hear if this activity was useful to your group. Please share your experience by writing to:TimFerguson@christianyouthgroup.org. Return to Index

Hear what Cara of Goodreads says about "Not the Same Old, Done-it-before Youth Meetings" Review: "Wow! Its one of the few realistic and useful youth books I've run across and is recommended for youth pastors and adult volunteers in youth." Thanks, Cara, for reading and sharing. Click here for more "Activities for Christian Youth Programs" See more reviews of Not the Same Old, Done-it-before Youth Meetings. Not the Same Old, Done-it-before Youth Meeting (the book)

Posters for your youth program Try ther following link for some good posters that might fit your youth program needs or for decorating your youth room. Click: Youth Posters

Open or Closed? A suggestion from a Youth Leader in New York ..." An icebreaker we do is to pass a book around a circle. The leader starts and states to to the person to the left, ' I pass this to you closed' or 'I pass this to you open'. The leader may pass the book actually open or closed regardless of what is stated because the open or closed status depends not on the state of the book but whether or not the leader's legs are crossed or open at the time the book is passed. It usually takes five or six times around the circle for people to "ge it". Place youth leaders at various points on the circle so that at least some people know how to play the game from the beginning. This is a good lead in to a discussion on the topic 'things aren't what they first seem' and 'don't judge a book by it's cover'." Thanks for your submission, Debbie. Return to Index

International Bible Treasure Hunt So how do we get Christian youth from Pakistan, the Philippines, Uganda and the United States together? At the cost of air fare nowadays we have had to decline the offer from Ulysses of the Philippines to join them, in their camp program. But there is another way: an International Bible Treasure Hunt. Think of a cross between a Bible Trivia Contest and an episode of Indiana Jones searching for some missing archaeological treasure from the past. In January 2009 youth groups will take an evening to search through their Bibles, as a group, to find ten distinct Biblical Treasures – and where they have been hidden. Word puzzles, simulated journeys through Biblical lands, collections of Bible verses, numerical/ logical reasoning calculations will be used to give clues to these treasures and their location. The treasure hunt is being developed by Tim Ferguson and youth groups are encouraged to sign up for this event. Currently three youth groups have signed up and we will be limiting the number of groups participating to ten on this first trial event. It will be held during a week in January during which the Treasure Hunt will be released on this website. Each group will pick an afternoon or evening to work on the hunt. There will be a maximum period of time to complete the Hunt – probably one and a half to two hours. More detailed rules will follow. Bibles, concordances, encyclopedias, Bible maps anything may be used but youth leaders, coordinating the event, cannot participate, except to gather the answers given and submit them to this website a week later. Upon grading the responses, recognition awards to the first, second and third place youth groups will be given. Each group will be asked to share, in a brief statement, what they learned during the event and what part of the event was most enjoyable. There will be no charge or fee required to enter the Treasure Hunt. Applications for the April/May Treasure Hunt are closed. However, since interest continues to be expressed, we will have another International Bible Treasure Hunt in the Fall of 2009 for those who missed out on the first two hunts. Please e-mail Timferguson@christianyouthgroup.org to ask further questions, give suggestions and sign up for the Fall 2009 International Bible Treasure Hunt Return to Index

* Two Activities from South Africa The following two activities are offered by Zwelethu, a youth worker in King William’s Town, South Africa. The youth in his group range in age from 15 to 24 years old. Zwelethu began working with this group in December 2007 and the group has about 50 members from not only his church but other churches in the area. Her favorite event was something her group called the Miss Inner Beauty contest. It involved drama presentations, poetry, dance, praise and worship and “the word preached by one of the young people” . Below are two activities Zwelethukos would share with all of us. ACTIVITY:SPIN THE BIBLE-Let your youth seat in a circle either on the floor or on chairs. Paste an arrow on a bible cover, then spin the bible on the floor. Whoever the bible points to must pick up the bible and open it randomly without thinking twice. Wherever the person opens he/she must read just one verse and then must just share in one minute what he/she gets from reading that verse. Do this until almost everyone has had a chance. GAME: Chain, Pencil and Book For this you will need to have a chain and a pencil and a book... Divide your youth into two groups and have each group select a leader for itself. Give one group the chain and another, the pencil and book. Instruct the group, to which you have given a chain, to use any form of art to explain how the Lord Jesus Christ has set them free from the chains that bound them. In doing this everyone in the group must participate and everyone must use at least one scripture to validate hi/her statements. Then instruct the group which you have given the pencil and book to use any form of art (dance, drama ,poetry, music, or anything that your youth can do) to explain how they are living epistles and how Christ has written them in the lamb's book of life and how every sin in their lives has been erased. Give each group 30 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to present what they have prepared The objective of this game is to build co-operation and confidence in the young people, while at the same time they discover their gifts and callings. For more fun, prophetic and apostolic games and youth activities you can e-mail me :zwelethukos@yahoo.com Zwelethukos point out that preparation in prayer is essential for these and all activities which we do with our youth programs. Return to Index

Challenge the minds and hearts of our young people Click here: Activities for Christian youth

* Candles of Prayer He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands * Christian Teens Candles of Prayer In order to share with the congregation the many facets of our youth program, we used a candelabra and the spiritual “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands”. The youth group began by lighting a candle for each of the projects we were involved in. As a member lit the candle another read a brief statement. For example: Our first candle is for Lu Lu, an orphan, we youth members support by giving one dollar per member per month. We pray for Lu Lu. Our second candle is for the people of Indonesia, whose lives we have learned about this year during the Thirty Hour Famine. We pray for the people of Indonesia. The third candle is for our Christian friends in Uganda, with whom we have been corresponding. We pray for our friends in Uganda. The fourth candle is for Christians in Deer Park that we all will be filled with the Spirit of God. We pray for Deer Park Christians. All in all there were nine candles and nine messages like the above. After lighting the candles we asked the congregation to join us in singing a couple of the established verses of “He’s Got the Whole World in Hid Hands”. After completing these verses, we asked the congregation to look towards our youth group in the front of the sanctuary. Nine youth members held nine different signs representing the nine candles earlier lit. The last verses of the song went … He’s got Lu Lu from China in His hands He’s got Indonesia in His hands He’s got friends from Uganda in His hands He’s got the whole world in His hands Just as we got to “Lu Lu” then “Indonesia” then “friends from Uganda” the youth turned over the sign they held for everyone to see in order to sing the coming lyrics. He’s got Deer Park Christians in His hands He’s got New York City homeless in His hands He’s got all of God’s children in His hands He’s got the whole world in His hands. One more verse of candles, then a repeat of the original first verse and the usually serene Presbyterians were clapping their hands and swaying back and forth. And they even learned all about our youth program in this eight minute event. Try it … your congregation and youth will love it! Return to Index

More ideas ... try our newly formed website .... Not the Same Old, Done-it-before Youth Meetings: Site Two at ... Site Two

* Food Scavenger Hunt Amelia Harris shares with us the following activity. Food Scavenger Hunt 1) Divide youth into two groups. Each group must have an adult driver that lives in his/her neighborhood and that is able to go with the youth on their walk. 2) Each group elects a speaker or they may elect to take turns speaking. However, it is important that the speaker be prepared upon knocking at the door. 3) Each team will have 45 minutes to collect their food. 4) Each group will be given cards to leave with each resident that they meet. This card will explain who we are and what our mission is. The teams are NOT allowed to explain to the residents that this is a scavenger hunt and we are seeking specific items. We will thankfully accept all donations. If the resident wants a receipt, we can list the donation on the card. If this happens, please ask an adult to make note of this for the church office records. 5) Points will be based on the types of items received. Points will also be given for the number of pounds. 6) The winning team will receive the right to have a member of the loosing team go the kitchen on Sunday morning to get their drink and donuts for Sunday school. The loosing team will NOT pay for the items – they will serve them. And, of course, bragging rights are always a plus. Points* Canned vegetables 2 Canned fruit 7 Boxed cereals 4 Pastas 3 Macaroni/cheese 6 Rice 5 Peanut butter 10 Powdered/canned milk 10 Canned meats 10 Snack & other items 1 Money ... 1 pt per dollar collected Pounds ... 1 pt per pound collected *The size of the item will not affect its individual point item. However, it will increase the number of pounds. With the exception of peanut butter, milk, canned meats and snack items, the points were randomly assigned (drawn from a hat). Card text: Food Drive Thank You! Hi! We are from                             and we are collecting unopened canned and boxed goods for our food drive. We are very concerned about the hungry in our community. Our church operates a food pantry that the hungry in our community can come to receive food in emergency situations. We also support the food pantry that is operated by the Regional Interfaith Association of Jackson. Today, we are asking for donations to help support these ministries. Please look at this list to see if you have any of the food listed to donate today. Canned vegetables ... Canned fruit ... Boxed cereals ... Pastas Macaroni/cheese ... Rice ... Peanut butter ... Powdered/canned milk Canned meats ... Snack items We appreciate your gifts and prayers. Your group name: _____________________________ Return to Index

Jesus calls Christian teens and their Christian youth workers to "Go into the world to preach the gospel" and gives the promise,"I am always with you to the end of the age". Please share with us where you live so that the global community of Christian teens and their youth leaders can become more evident. Are you active in a Christian youth club (group)? Do you have Christian youth activities, Christian youth entertainment ideas or Christian youth work charities to share. Group games for youth ministry programs and Bible lessons for teenagers will be featered on our activities page, if you will share them. Help make our Christian youth website truly international!Just click on the Guestmap Icon and let us know who you are.

* Here's a great icebreaker from the state of Texas. Terry Carlisle of Texas shares with us the following activity. He has a website that can be accessed at www.tlcyouthservices.com. Terry has additional activities on his website for your perusal. Two Truths and a Lie This is a classic get-to-know-you icebreaker. Players tell two truths and one lie. The object of the game is to to determine which statement is the false one. Interesting variations of this game are provided below. This game is a get-to-know-you icebreaker. Recommended group size is: small, medium, or large. Works best with 6-10 people. Any indoor setting will work. No special materials are needed, although pencil and paper is optional. For all ages. Instructions for Two Truths and a Lie: Ask all players to arrange themselves in a circle. Instruct each player to think of three statements about themselves. Two must be true statements, and one must be false. For each person, he or she shares the three statements (in any order) to the group. The goal of the icebreaker game is to determine which statement is false. The group votes on which one they feel is a lie, and at the end of each round, the person reveals which one was the lie. Variations to Try: “Two Truths and a Dream Wish.” - An interesting variation of Two Truths and a Lie is “Two Truths and a Dream Wish.” Instead of telling a lie, a person says a wish. That is, something that is not true — yet something that the person wishes to be true. For example, someone that has never been to Europe might say: “I often travel to Europe for vacation.” This interesting spin on the icebreaker can often lead to unexpected, fascinating results, as people often share touching wishes about themselves. Thanks, Terry Editor's note: click here for Terry's recommended website. http://www.tlcyouthservices.net Return to Index

Preparation for Youth Group Season ... new ideas for Youth Leaders ... By N. Durgana (New York) "I've been a Sunday School Teacher since 1998 and have assisted during many youth group activities. It is always a challenge to discover ideas that are fun, teach the gospel message and engage the imaginations of our young people... Not the Same Old, Done-it-Before Youth Meetings" does this. It has lots of fun activities but, much more importantly, it addresses the need to challenge the minds and hearts of our young people." For more reviews click: Engage Young People's imaginations

1 ... The Lifeboat Game • The Lifeboat Game. A list of ten people is displayed. The list includes individuals such as: a pregnant woman, the president, a minister, a person about to find a cure for cancer, a ten-year-old child, a comedian, a fisherman, a sailor, and a reformed criminal who speaks to youth about the dangers of crime and the like. Youth are advised that these ten people are in a lifeboat and the lifeboat is sinking. It has been determined that only five can remain for the lifeboat to float. Youth are asked to write down which five they think should remain. One of the ten people on the lifeboat is identified as “yourself.” The votes of five are totaled up and the choice of the group is revealed. The matter is then opened up for discussion. Did the group, as a whole, make the correct choice? Why were the choices made? We did this event on January 27, 2008 with not only twenty six young people participating but fifteen adults. We did not include the president in our list and added a missionary doctor. Why don't you try this with your youth group. Here are the results we got from the event... The top six choices of the adults, then of the youth are as follows. All votes are for which five of the ten individuals should stay on the boat… 15 adults voted as follows: 10 Year Old – 13 votes … 87% Scientist about to find cancer cure – 13 votes … 87% Pregnant woman – 12 votes … 80% Missionary Doctor – 11 votes … 73% Fisherman – 9 votes … 60% Myself – 6 votes … 40% 26 youth members voted as follows: Myself – 21 votes … 81% Missionary Doctor – 18 votes … 69% Pregnant woman – 17 votes … 65% Sailor – 15 votes …58% Ten Year Old and Scientist (tie) – 14 votes … 54% One quick observation – the closest result is for the missionary doctor to remain. 69 per cent of the youth said yes and 73 per cent of the adults also felt he should remain. The minister – he got one vote (thanks to Danny Ermert) but Pastor John stated that he had filled out his list with himself off the boat. If anyone uses this, let me know how it went. Please write to: TimFerguson@christianyouthgroup.org. I would really like to hear your results and your thoughts about what choices your young people made. God bless you in all your youth activities. For more ideas to engage Christian youth... click: From the Mountaintop . Return to Index

Something new, something different: fresh, fun and effective ideas for youth groups Click here: Activities for Christian youth

2 ... Finding Truth FINDING TRUTH [This event was held on the third day of a retreat weekend. This web site does not allow for a detailed account of all of the retreat events. Thus, a summary of the first two days’ events is given with details on the third day event: a meeting that lasted about an hour and a half. Reference is also made to material found in the book, “Not the Same Old, Done-it-before Youth Meetings. For those, who have purchased the book, the study to be described demonstrates a different usage of activities found in the book.] Summary of Days One and Two: On these days of the retreat we completed a detailed study of the skit entitled “The Traveler” found on pages 255-258 of the book, “Not the Same Old, Done-it-before Youth Meetings”. During our discussions the group identified the roadblocks created by four road signs encountered by the “Traveler” in the skit. The following is a brief summary of this study. [See picture of map outlining the “Traveler’s” journey.] The first stumbling block on the traveler’s journey was a Stop Sign at which the traveler’s self doubts had to be overcome. We pointed out that it is all right to stop cautiously and check out if there are dangers around. If not, we must move forward on our journey. The Road Narrows Sign encountered led to the temptation to be insensitive to people as things became closer and closer to the traveler. When the road narrows, we become more aware of the surroundings and, in a sense, become a part of the road and its surroundings, not simply a person passing through. The Parable of the Good Samaritan helped us understand that as the road narrows and we become more aware of it, we also become responsible for those we encounter along the way. The third sign the traveler approaches is a One Way Sign and it tests his/her ability to overcome the temptations of conformity. We read the story “The Lemming Connection” by Alan Arkin which, in an entertaining way, introduces us to the dangers of simply “going along with the crowd”. The last sign is a Dead End Sign, the most difficult of all for any traveler. When encountering such a sign, the traveler must have great will power to overcome the finality of that part of the journey. This is not a temporary stop, only to start up again like the Stop Sign. Rather the Dead End Sign demands a reassessment of the journey and a change along the way while still pursuing one’s goals. Day Three: “Finding Truth”. We began by recognizing things already learned about truth. Much of this was learned the previous day via stories read and a movie watched, entitled “Amazing Grace”. Since most youth groups have had discussions about the nature of or definition of truth at one time or another, begin by linking things learned in the past to the upcoming activity. During our discussions of the “signs”, we found truth to include wisdom and justice but did not include pride, which tends to distort truth. During subsequent discussions we added the following to our description of truth: the need to be passionate about our faith, a peaceful disposition, courage to move forward on ones beliefs, a belief that we are all equal in God’s sight and a commitment to act upon our beliefs. A faith which is cerebral without displaying actions of reaching out to others is not the faith of a committed Christian. We then read read John 14:1-6 and noted that Jesus states that he is “the way, the truth, the life”. Ask youth what they think Jesus means by stating that he is “the truth”. This was a difficult question to truly answer without resorting to clichés. Have someone read John 8:31-32. Here Jesus states, “If you obey my teachings, you are really my disciples; you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” Now we asked a most significant question. Youth want to know how a man who lived 2,000 years ago sets us free and provides us with wisdom, a true sense of justice, peace and passion or any other description of truth your group has previously established. It is a fair question to ask. The answer needs to be more than intellectual rhetoric. It requires experiencing the presence of God’s Spirit. It is only in this experience that youth will truly comprehend how a man, who lived 2,000 years ago, can be “the truth”, who makes a difference in people’s lives today. For those who own the book, read “Walking on Water” found on pages 29 to 31. If you don’t have the book, read the activity “Trust and Prayer”, described on this activity page, for suggestions of ways to bring an awareness of the presence of God’s Spirit to your group. After we read “Walking on Water” at the retreat, many young people expressed a sense that they had actually walked on water both to the boat with Jesus in it and back to shore when he rowed away. Point out that this was not simply an exercise of their mind. They did not simply imagine it. Rather God’s spirit placed the confidence that this could happen upon their hearts. This is a most important point to make and use whatever skills you have to make sure the youth understand this. Once the presence of the Holy Spirit in the room has been established (because the power has been experienced), make the point that, just like we never thought we could walk on water, there are other things in life that challenge our faith. These challenges may seem overwhelming but … we just “walked on water”!! The Spirit that placed this sensation on our hearts will give us wisdom, courage and passion to accomplish these other seemingly impossible tasks. Nine of our young people went on a mission trip to El Salvador in August 2007. (See Mission Moments page of this website to learn more about this trip.) We asked how many of them, three years previous to the trip, could have imagined doing such a thing. No one responded positively. We pointed out that, when we have faith and let God’s Spirit lead, we accomplish things we would never expect to start much less complete. The movie we watched, “Amazing Grace”, was another example of where commitment to an action led to change almost no one thought was possible. Think of something your young people have done (like our trip to El Salvador) that was an unexpected accomplishment and use that as an example to help them recognize how God has worked in the life of the group. We concluded this segment by pointing out to our youth that, as long as we walk with God, more “El Salvador experiences” are going to appear. Then ask the question … while listening to the story, “Walking on Water”, did the young people find God or did God find them. The answer is clear – when we open our hearts to the Spirit of God, He finds us. (Revelation 3: 20 reads “ I stand at the door and knock; if anyone opens the door I will come in and sup with him and he with me”). Yes, we need to open the door but note: Jesus comes in to our hearts; we do not go to Him. Reiterate that this is not simply an intellectual exercise that is occurring. If it was, we could claim to have discovered or “found” God. But the experience of “Walking on Water” is one of opening ones mind and heart and letting the story take the listener to the moment of letting God’s Spirit into our hearts. When we do so, God finds us! We also pointed out that we, as Christians, were not made to do this alone (See Genesis chapter one) and that we, as a group of young people, would leave our retreat walking out on a new journey of faith together. We concluded with a candle ceremony during which eight of our young people volunteered to come forward and pray that our group would discover and be filled with the eight elements of truth discovered during the retreat: passion, peace, courage, equality, justice, wisdom, loss of pride and commitment to action. Each person prayed that the group would be filled with one of these. We concluded with the group saying The Lord’s Prayer and singing “Lean on Me”, affirming our commitment to support each other in our walk of faith. . [ I am aware that for those, who did not purchase the book, “Not the Same old, Done-it-before Youth Meetings”, that the description of this activity will demand additional creative planning. Nevertheless, I do hope these ideas are helpful. We had a successful retreat and pictures of some of the activities are on this page as well as the C.U.T.S. page of this web site. Please write to me at timferguson@christianyouthgroup.org and let me know if this event spurred some thoughts of your own that blessed your young people as much as it has blessed ours in Deer Park, NY.] If you are interested in reviewing the above referenced book... take a moment by clicking the below link. Not the Same Old, Done-it-before Youth Meeting (the book) Return to Index

Let us know your thoughts about this Christian youth group website. What can you share about your Christian youth organization that will be helpful to others? Do you know: Some Christian youth work charities Some effective youth group games for youth ministry programs Some Christian youth entertainment ideas Some helpful thoughts about running a youth group Some creative ways of sharing the gospel Click here: Guestbook

Give this a try ...... Click on Bible Trivia Games then click on the game you wish to play on the left. Please don't feel you have to do anymore than play the game. Bible Trivia Games Thanks to Eric Bradshaw for sharing his games. When finished, click your back browser to return to Christianyouthgroup.org...to get an activity for your youth program.

3 ... Christian Teen Movie Review The Other Side of Heaven "For three years I've lived with people who possess nothing yet they possess everything." These were the words of John Groberg upon returning to the United States after having spent three years in the South Pacific on a small island of barely one hundred occupants. The movie " The Other Side of Heaven" produced by Walt Disney tells his story beautifully and honestly. Our youth group in Deer Park watched this movie on November 11th as a result of a suggestion of Julian Victor of Malaysia on this website -see below. Thank you, Jullian, for an excellent recommendation. The movie begins with 19 year old John heading off on a mission to the , to him and his family, unknown island of Tonga. An adventurous and unpredictable journey finds him landing at his mission field many days late and he is given his directive - "learn their language, build the kingdom". The movie depicts the differences in culture and language that lead to poor John inadvertently telling the native people that he comes to bring them "an outhouse." The movie honestly depicts the sacrifices made by all who enter the mission field. John leaves behind his one true love and their correspondence of committment and concern is displayed with the ever persistent question - will this love last a three year separation at this vulnerable time in these young people's lives? The movie depicts all of John's trials, tribulations and triumphs. At one point, after a tropical storm destoys all the homes, livestock and food of the island, John and his fellow islanders face starvation, John writes to Jean, "I don't know if I will be alive when you receive this letter... I have learned something difficult. There is a connection between heaven and earth. Finding that connection makes everything meaningful, including death. Missing the connection makes everything meaningless, including life". I recommend sharing this movie, based upon the actual memoirs of John Groberg, with your youth group. John is on a Mormon mission and his commitment to sharing the gospel and the love of God is a testimony for all Christians. At the end of the movie I asked our youth members - "How many of you could commit yourself, at age nineteen, to do this? Don't answer the question. Just think about it." Tim Ferguson, Community Presbyterian Chuch, Deer Park, NY Return to Index

4 ...Activity from Malaysia Praise the Lord! Nice to hear from you again and delightful to see how God used you all during the mission trip! Things here have been alright. And during Youth service, we twice watched movies in the church as an activity. I STRONGLY suggest you try to get this movies and watch it as they were really beautiful and faith-lifting and encouraging. The first we watched was 'Facing the Giant'. Its about how a man transformed a bunch of no-hopers (his baseball team) into a giant-killing team through Christ, and in the process, making the team more faithful and believing too, having prayers and praise with them. The second, which reminded me of your mission trip, was 'The Other Side of Heaven'. About a New Zealander sent to an African country for mission work for 2 1/2 years! But it was a very beautiful movie as well! I strongly recommend these, if you haven't watched already! :) Well God bless you and your ministry and hope to hear from you again! :) Victor ... thank you for the suggestion. We are going to look up those movies and have a movie night in Deer Park, NY and take time to recognize that Christian friends in Malaysia have been watching the same movies. Thanks. Tim If you would like to share some of your own youth group activities with Victor and all of us, please share your thoughts by writing to: TimFerguson@christianyouthgroup.org. Return to Index

5 ... The Fruits of the Spirit "But the Spirit produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility and self control. There is no law against such things as these." Activity: Purchase beads of nine different colors as well as wood spacers. These will be used to make bracelets, assembled on a bracelet chord. Most craft stores will have these items. The items can be purchased, when bought in bulk, for about $1.00 per bracelet. Before youth assemble the bracelet ask youth to solve the following word problems:

Puzzle OLEV KPZ ECAEP 16, 1, 20, 9, 5, 14, 3, 5 JHMCMDRR Make a mirror image of "Goodness" HFOUMFOFTT "Not others" - "To hold back" Last word Galatians 5:22 Solution LOVE(opposite alphabet - A=Z, B=Y, etc.) JOY (next letter in alphabet) PEACE (word spelled backwards) Patience (numbers reflect letters - 1=A, 2=B, etc.) Kindness (previous letter in alphabet) Goodness (mirror image) Gentleness (letter after in alphabet) Self Control (self = not others; control = to hold back) Faithfulness

Give the clues, one at a time, to small groups of youth on colored paper. Once a clue is discovered, each member of the group receives a bead or two of the same color as the paper to put on the bracelet. The successful group receives subsequent clues until the bracelet is completed (nine colors). If a group has a problem with a clue let them try a different word puzzle. The Galatians 5:22 clue is given last as it lists all the fruits of the spirit and could assist groups who had difficulty with some of the clues. Wooden spacers were also given to fill in empty spots between the beads on the bracelet. After all bracelets are completed, take time to remind youth that the colored beads represent different fruits of the spirit. Discuss the definition behind each of these fruits. Take a poll amongst youth members as to which of the fruits of the spirit they think they have and which need to become a part of their personalities. Note that some of the more difficult fruits,in the eyes of youth, are probably patience and self control. Determine which fruits are most common and why. Question: Do you (youth) know anyone who has all of the fruits of the spirit? Do you think there are many people who can claim to have incorporated all of these fruits in their lives? How about Biblical individuals? Jesus clearly was filled with the fruits. The Apostle Paul lists them in Galatians chapter five. From what is known about Paulís life was he filled with all nine fruits? Or are these goals for Christians to set for themselves? Remind youth that we find God when we open our hearts to him and let his spirit fill us. End the lesson with a prayer asking that Godís spirit fill each of us with these fruits. We would love to hear if this activity was useful to your group. Please share your experience by writing to: TimFerguson@christianyouthgroup.org. Return to Index

Jesus calls Christian teens and their Christian youth workers to "Go into the world to preach the gospel" and gives the promise,"I am always with you to the end of the age". Please share with us where you live so that the global community of Christian teens and their youth leaders can become more evident. Are you active in a Christian youth club (group)? Do you have Christian youth activities, Christian youth entertainment ideas or Christian youth work charities to share. Group games for youth ministry programs and Bible lessons for teenagers will be featered on our activities page, if you will share them. Help make our Christian youth website truly international!Just click on the Guestmap Icon and let us know who you are.

Looking for different activity ideas that are fresh, fun and effective for your youth program? Click here: More activities ... more activities!!

12 Easter ... "To you ... I am a Story" Youth Leaders, Linda and Tim lead Easter Dawn Service 2009: Read our just written Easter Skit "To You ... I am a Story" Easter 2009

6 ... The Rich Young Ruler Read Luke 18: 18-27 and ask youth what they think of this command of Jesus to give everything that you own to the poor, then follow Jesus. Discuss to what degree this is possible today. How much "everything" is everything? Does Jesus simply mean something significant? Try this exercise with your young people. It is fun and there is lots to talk about when it is over. Get some play money like what you find in a monopoly game. Divide it up into differing amounts ranging from $15.00 to about $200.00 dollars. Have a different amount for each person. Put the money into envelopes and have the youth pick the envelopes randomly. Record the amount each youth has but do not make the amounts known to the group. Develop three or four scenarios that would require raising funds. In our group we had the following: Funds needed to pay the church's monthly oil bill of $1,000.00 as the church was having trouble meeting its budget. Funds to assist an orphan in a foreign country where an earthquake just devastated her home. Funds to support a local soup kitchen to pay for repairs to a broken water pipe system - cost about $,1,000.00. Funds to purchase a new audio visual projector to be used with computer programs for the youth group. Advise youth that the amount in their envelope is their monthly income. Ask them how much they would give to help with each of these projects. Record the donated amounts one project at a time. Analyze the results in the following ways: Which of the projects got the most support in terms of identifying the project that received the most donations. Who was willing to give the highest percentage of their funds for projects. Did youth with a lot of money give a higher percentage or did those with a lower amount give the higher percentage? Were there projects that youth were willing to give 100 percent of their funds for. After analyzing and presenting the statistical results there will be many topics that will arise for discussion. We completed our meeting by addressing the reality that most youth do not have large amounts of money to give to God's work but there are other things that can be given. We presented ideas of giving to the church (being an usher, choir member or reader in worship), mission (helping with local soup kitchen, giving a little extra for the orphan we are supporting) and for the group itself (cleaning the youth room, writing articles for the newsletter, assisting with the website). At the end of the session almost everyone volunteered to do something for one of these entities. We would love to hear if this activity was useful to your group. Please share your experience by writing to: TimFerguson@christianyouthgroup.org. Return to Index

Lent and Love A Litany of Lent … What to Give up • Begin by asking youth what their understanding of lent is. See if they feel lent is an easy thing to respond to or something that is difficult. • Hand out the below list. Give up complaining … ___________________________________ Give up gossiping … ___________________________________ Give up jealousy … ____________________________________ Give up pessimism … ____________________________________ Give up harsh judgments … ____________________________________ Give up discouragement … ____________________________________ Give up bitterness … ____________________________________ Give up negativism … ____________________________________ Give up anger … ____________________________________ Give up worry … ____________________________________ Give up pettiness … ____________________________________ Give up “I can’t do” … ____________________________________ • Have youth pick three or four of the above which they feel are most needed for them to overcome this year. • Record them and see what choices the group made. Which of the above were most frequently chosen? Briefly discuss why these choices were made. • Sing the hymn “Here I am Lord”. Point out that we need to be ready and open to hear God’s word and guidance as we continue our discussion. • Hand out the next list and ask your youth to match these items with the things above to give up for Lent. Do not take a lot of time. Note that although there are answers, which I have listed below, different youth may view these match-ups differently. That is all right and will lead to good discussion. Give no more than two or three minutes to complete. Focus on my talents Pray for Trust Trust God to guide Be filled with Hope Focus on Gratitude Focus on being positive Be more patient Be a good listener Focus on being open-minded Become an optimist (God is with you) Think kindly thoughts Turn to forgiveness • Show the youth the chart below and discuss why these choices were made. Allow as much discussion as is needed. See the accompanying figure of the chart I made to discuss these matters. The Bible verse references will be discussed a little later. A Reflection on Lent … what to give up Give up complaining … Focus on Gratitude Give up gossiping … Be a good listener Give up jealousy … Pray for Trust Give up pessimism … Become an optimist (God is with you) Give up harsh judgments …Think kindly thoughts Give up discouragement …Be filled with Hope Give up bitterness … Turn to forgiveness Give up negativism … Focus on being positive Give up anger … Be more patient Give up worry … Trust God to guide Give up pettiness … Focus on being open-minded Give up “I can’t do” … Focus on my talents • Now let’s look at the scriptures listed below. These definitions of love tell us a little more about the things we should be doing to, in a positive way, “give up” those things in the left hand column above. • Read the scriptures, I Corinthians 13: 4-8; I John 4: 18-21; Micah 6: 8 then identify each as shown below. Give up complaining … love mercy, walk humbly (Micah 6:8) Give up gossiping … walk humbly (Micah 6:8) Give up jealousy … love envieth not (I Corinthians 13) Give up pessimism … love believes all things (I Corinthians 13) Give up harsh judgments … love is kind (I Corinthians 13) Give up discouragement … love hopes all things (I Corinthians 13) Give up bitterness … love is not easily provoked (I Corinthians 13) Give up negativism … love believes all things (I Corinthians 13) Give up anger … love is patient (I Corinthians 13) Give up worry … there is no fear in love (I John 4) Give up pettiness … love seeks not its own (I Corinthians 13) Give up “I can’t do” … love believes all things (I Corinthians 13) • Conclude by pointing out that Godly love fulfills all of the things that the writer of this litany wanted to give up. • Pray that God will fill each of us with His love so that Lent will no longer be so mysterious. • Sing the gospel hymn “Just a Closer Walk with Thee” and point out that as we walk close to our Lord, we become more and more filled with his love. Hear ... the Whispers of God “Develop your listening skills so you can understand the needs of others and so that you can hear the whispers of God. Please click ... Whispers of God

9 ... Jose Carlos, Christian Artist of Mexico City shares with us ...

Thank You, Jose, for sharing your special talent...

for, as you said, the glory of God

See Guest Map on home page to meet Jose. If you would like to correspond with Jose, please write to:TimFerguson@christianyouthgroup.org. and we will pass on your interest to him. Return to Index

10 ... Cross the Line. Cross the Line. This is a simple game that should lead to lots of sharing amongst the youth members. Line the youth up in a straight line. Draw a line, place a string on the ground for a line or ask the youth to imagine a line. Then ask a series of questions with the following as examples: How many of you slept in a tent the past year? How many of you have gone to a circus? How many of you play a musical instrument? How many of you went out of state for a vacation this past summer? Who saw a good movie last summer? Who can warn us of a bad movie, to be avoided, that you saw in the past year? Who has a favorite Bible verse to be shared? After asking the questions, ask those who answer affirmatively to step across the designated line. If several step across (the youth leader should decide how many is several), have all the youth sit in a circle and have the youth share their experience. Once everyone shares their experience, it is time to get back on the line for another question. We would love to hear if this activity was a fun event for your group. Did they learn some new things about each other? Please share your experience by writing to: TimFerguson@christianyouthgroup.org. Return to Index

Pie Eating Contest 2007 The Contenders Beginning to eat Every year we have a seven week long olympics. There are over twenty events including volleyball, spelling bee, charades, darts, listomania (see below), track and field, Bible trivia and pie eating. Today we share some photos from pie eating this April with Ricky the winner for the fourth stright year. April 2007... During the olympics church members come and are judges of events. Before judging, they share their faith journey with our youth. Our most recent judge, Frank Tangredi (see adult testimonials) shared how God reminded him by a bottle cap at a book store, who was the true source of all wisdom. As he shared, "I thought it was me but you taught me that I'm not so smart". Four weeks have passed in the year's olympics and The Googlelites with their victories in softball and pie eating hold a slight lead over The Hippos. There are three weeks to go with lots more events. For today ... here's the Pie Eating Contest. Hippo Harris is saying ... I can't believe Stephen talked me into doing this - will someone please, please finish so I can stop. I don't like chocolate!!!! Four time winner Ricky says, "You know it was never in doubt" For more olympic ideas see chapter eight, pages 55 to 65, of Not the Same Old, Done-it-before Youth Meetings where the "Olympics" is discussed in detail and many ideas created for our olympics are described. Some are: A Little Alliteration,Listomania and our ways of playing Charades, Wheel of Fortune and Domino Stacking for a youth group gathering. Click on the below for further information: Not the Same Old, Done-it-before Youth Meeting (the book) Return to Index

More activity ideas ... more ideas ... Click here: Activities that are fun and teach the gospel?

Activities Prayer Mighty Lord, Mighty God, Bless we youth leaders with a zeal to seek out and a wisdom to choose activities, which will promote an understanding of your transforming love. Help us discover events purely for fun that bring laughter and build bonds of trust amongst our youth. Guide us to other activities, which teach your truths and motivate youth to seek a deeper understanding of your call for them. May these activities strengthen their individual faith in each other and in you, O God. May their call be one of joining together as a team of Christian youth seeking to make a difference in this world. Return to Index For previous Youth Activites visit our Archives page.