Last night at youth group we began the season with a huge change: we dropped the evening meal at the beginning, which dramatically changed the gathering atmosphere. There is still going to be some major adjustment in our group to this big change, but after the first night, I can tell that it's going to be a nice change. In my opinion there were lots of positives: we didn't have to collect $, we gathered in our youth space which is intimate and inviting rather than the large and ugly fellowship hall, we were able to setup games in the fellowship hall before hand, kids ate with their families, and we began earlier giving us more time. There were some negatives: we didn't open the evening with a camp-style prayer, the snack was awesome but few ate because they had just eaten dinner with families, and the beginning was a little strange while we gathered kids for 5-10 minutes in the youth room. We'll work out those things in the upcoming weeks though and I think the change will do us well!
We began the evening with quick introductions about SNL, an overview of the evening and then we introduced leaders (since sometimes our leaders look a little like our students - young adults as they are). There were definitely some giggles when one leader said they wanted to ride the 'weiner mobile', otherwise, it was just a good chance for kids to hear and see the adult presence and give a chance for Liz (lacey's helper) to be introduced. Then we proceeded into the fellowship hall for a few ice breaker games: clump it up, jelly bean swap, and can-can-bump.
Clump it up: a simple game that asked kids to mingle, then I would shout a number and a few questions. Kids found that number of people to form a group and then sat down and answered questions like - your hardest class, farthest away from home, school, grade... when I had kids get into groups of three I asked them to form pyramids and then they had to race across the floor. That was excellent, no one got hurt, and there was a lot of fun in the challenge. we concluded the game by making lines of people, and then without talking having to sort themselves according to birthdays and then alphabetically by middle name. All of these games were great, as they encouraged kids to include one another, meet others, and have some small experiences to remember and draw on throughout the rest of the year. I imagine conversations between kids later in the year: "I think I know you, yeah we were in the same pyramid when we raced." "That's right, I thought we were going to die!"
Jelly Bean Swap: we distributed cups filled with skittles and m&ms instructing kids to trade candy until they had collected all the same color and candy. Simple rules included candy always had to be traded one-to-one and each trade had to accompany a new piece of information about the other person. The great part of the game was that kids were so excited to be trading candy, and it forced kids into new relationships as they overcame their fears about getting to know each other in pursuit of collecting the right candy. This game worked well for our group because at the end of the game everyone can eat candy and watch the next game, which was played in rounds so that everyone got a turn.
Can-can-bump: I thought going into the night that this game might flop, and I was surprised that it was so incredible. It might have been the sugar-high, but our kids loved trying to push eachother into the trash can. Again, first night, so we had a game with very simple rules. Called to the middle in groups according to gender and age (or whatever I felt like) kids held hands around the trash can, then tried to pull their friends into the middle and try to touch the trash can or pull friends over the can so that their hands passed over the can and they were called out. They were also called out if they broke hands at any point. Tons of silliness. The kids really enjoyed the strength and strategy of the game. They cheered each other on, and my favorite part of the game: when the freshman girls couldn't seem to get anyone out, mostly just moving in a circle, the rest of the room spontaneously started singing ring-around-the-rosy. The game was good natured, fun to watch, and great for a group as big as ours.
After our ice breakers we went back to the youth room for a short talk. I explained that this was our space to take care of and then launched into a more serious discussion about what makes church community different than other communities: that we are built on forgiveness because we are all outsiders. We talked about John 3:16-17, our own sinfulness, and used an illustration about all of us being included because no one is perfect. Then we broke into small groups. spread out and had great conversations. We definitely need a better way to break into small groups, mostly because I don't want it to be based on where you sit every night, but for the first night it was okay.
Small groups were interesting. There was quite a bit of variety in the depth, seriousness, and silliness that was in each group. I forgot to suggest that kids go around the circle as the group began and introduce themselves. Some groups did this anyway, some not and that was probably a determining factor in the attitudes.
We concluded with ukulele worship. Myself, another leader and a student led the group with our ukes, but we also had a student guitar player and someone else on hand drums. I was nervous about the mixture, but we sounded good and with so many people in the room, I was grateful for the extra sound from the guitar. As students reentered the youth room they were invited to the center table. Candles and markers sat on the paper covered-table and all were invited to write down places that they've been excluded. It was a great gathering tool that we'll have to use again, and great place to point our eyes to as we worshiped.
My favorite moment in the evening was at the conclusion. Following one song, my ukulele playing student leaned over to me and asked if he could say something. This young man is still a little on the fringe, he's a freshman, and I'm pretty sure the only reason that he showed up was because I asked him to come play uke with me... so the request was surprising to say the least, but I granted it, got everyone's attention and this young man spoke great God words. He encouraged us to think about 9-11 and be mindful of those families in our prayers. To which I asked him to lead us in prayer, and he did. He prayed a beautiful, eloquent prayer that wove together the theme of our inclusive night, 9-11, and what it means to love God. It was a beautiful moment of spirit in our community where God spoke to and through him into our group. A great illustration about what it means to be included!
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