We spent about half an hour talking about what homelessness is (not having a permanent home for instance). Then they took a box out to a forested area behind our church. They spent the first hour in the box and then "things" started happening. We took one person's box away and they had to move in with the person next to them, had it "rain" on one box, had one person only speaking Spanish, etc.). We finished it with a visit from the police who staged a raid for us. It was really effective.
Glenn Kelley; Youth Leader - First UMC of Mt. Ephraim
1. Pass out applications for employment and ask each member to fill out the application based on the dream job they want - (great way to get to know kids)
Rev. Terry Carty, Director of The YouthWorker Movement
I prepared laminated "wallet cards" and gave them to all the youth at the end of a sexuality retreat. The cards had "Dating Guidelines" on one side and "Questions to Consider..." on the other side. They remind and reinforce lessons and conversations from the retreat.
You’ve been asked to put together a Youth Sunday. It’s a concept that can strike fear in the heart of any youth worker, particularly those who are new to youth ministry...
Romans 12:1-8 "...be transformed by the renewing of your mind"
Use this scripture to talk about what worship does (ex: changes us by drawing us close to God and makes us more like God). I concentrated on verse 2 and talked about what it means to be transformed and how your mind is "renewed." I found some of those sponge capsules that used to be popular when I was a kid...they're the kind that the capsule dissolves and reveals some kind of sponge shape: animals, insects, cars, etc.
The study, 'I believe in Jesus,' is a great resource that can be used to conduct a 6-8 week discussion with Young People as a tool for understanding Identity. You can download this study here.
