Sunday, June 13, 2010
Free Youth Ministry Ideas
Welcome back fellow youth leaders! I hope all is well in your worlds. I am sad to inform that Free Youth Ministry Ideas will be on hiatus for at least a month, possibly more. My plate is full and I am working with a think tank on how to increase readership of my weekly blog. If you have any ideas or want to see the blog continue on, email or leave a comment. Please read all the past posts for ideas if you havent already. Thanks again.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Free Youth Ministry Ideas
Crack-a-Grin:
When my son Garrett was little we used to like to take him for car rides. One day when
he was two, he asked his daddy, "Daddy, where are we going," His daddy said, "Crazy, do
you want to go?" The next day at home Garrett was crying in the front room while his dad
was laughing. I asked, "What's wrong", and Garrett sobbed loudly, "I want to go crazy."
Hot Topix:
A. National Day of Prayer is this Thursday on May 6th. With all the controversy surrounding the event and lack of support from our supposedly Christian President, we must stand strong and take the time on this day to be prayer warriors, alongside our teens. Keep the youth building open for a couple of hours after school so teens can come at their convenience to pray. Have some refreshments by the door that they can grab to take with them after they pray. Be bold and stand strong, our country needs all our prayers now more than ever.
B. Plugged In is a great event for your teens. Basically you will hold a lock in either overnight or for 4-5 hours. There will be no electronics or electricity allowed……no cell phones, computers, electric lights, handheld gaming systems, etc. If you are holding the event at night, use candles or oil lamps (be extremely careful). Use the time with the teens to discuss what is important in life and staying focused on Gods Will for our lives, instead of allowing modern conveniences to keep us distracted. Get the teens to talking about how affected they are by these devices and help them come up with rules to live by in order to take control of these devices instead of allowing the devices to control them.
Stats-o-the-Week:
According to religioustolerance.org, today 75% of American adults identify themselves as Christians.
Thought to ponder: What does being a Christian really mean and why is this country drifting further and further from Christian morals?
Roughly 83 million Bibles are distributed globally each year, according to Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (2009).
Free Resources:
A. The Way of the Master – (www.wayofthemaster.com)
Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron have partnered together to encourage fellow Christians to get out and witness and to bring the unbelieving into a relationship with Christ. This website is full of tools and knowledge to grow your faith and that of your teens. Listen to audio lessons, street witnessing video clips, order materials, link to Ray Comfort’s blog, find out the station and time for their television show …and much more all on the website. Follow them on Facebook and Twitter.
B. Let Freedom Ring Ministries – (www.letfreedomringusa.com)
Get your kids involved in standing for and when old enough fighting for our constitutional freedoms. This website contains Jody Hice’s daily radio program which features the latest news dealing with our constitutional freedoms and how they can and do affect Christians. Also get informed regarding the Hope For America rallies. Our teens need to understand that we are fighting a war in this country to keep our constitutional freedoms from being taken away. They must realize what a blessing it is to freely attend church and that there may come a day where that is no longer a freedom we Christians have, which is why we must fight.
C. (Illustration) – “Are the things your living for worth Christ dying for?”
Encouragement for the Road:
“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:21
When my son Garrett was little we used to like to take him for car rides. One day when
he was two, he asked his daddy, "Daddy, where are we going," His daddy said, "Crazy, do
you want to go?" The next day at home Garrett was crying in the front room while his dad
was laughing. I asked, "What's wrong", and Garrett sobbed loudly, "I want to go crazy."
Hot Topix:
A. National Day of Prayer is this Thursday on May 6th. With all the controversy surrounding the event and lack of support from our supposedly Christian President, we must stand strong and take the time on this day to be prayer warriors, alongside our teens. Keep the youth building open for a couple of hours after school so teens can come at their convenience to pray. Have some refreshments by the door that they can grab to take with them after they pray. Be bold and stand strong, our country needs all our prayers now more than ever.
B. Plugged In is a great event for your teens. Basically you will hold a lock in either overnight or for 4-5 hours. There will be no electronics or electricity allowed……no cell phones, computers, electric lights, handheld gaming systems, etc. If you are holding the event at night, use candles or oil lamps (be extremely careful). Use the time with the teens to discuss what is important in life and staying focused on Gods Will for our lives, instead of allowing modern conveniences to keep us distracted. Get the teens to talking about how affected they are by these devices and help them come up with rules to live by in order to take control of these devices instead of allowing the devices to control them.
Stats-o-the-Week:
According to religioustolerance.org, today 75% of American adults identify themselves as Christians.
Thought to ponder: What does being a Christian really mean and why is this country drifting further and further from Christian morals?
Roughly 83 million Bibles are distributed globally each year, according to Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (2009).
Free Resources:
A. The Way of the Master – (www.wayofthemaster.com)
Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron have partnered together to encourage fellow Christians to get out and witness and to bring the unbelieving into a relationship with Christ. This website is full of tools and knowledge to grow your faith and that of your teens. Listen to audio lessons, street witnessing video clips, order materials, link to Ray Comfort’s blog, find out the station and time for their television show …and much more all on the website. Follow them on Facebook and Twitter.
B. Let Freedom Ring Ministries – (www.letfreedomringusa.com)
Get your kids involved in standing for and when old enough fighting for our constitutional freedoms. This website contains Jody Hice’s daily radio program which features the latest news dealing with our constitutional freedoms and how they can and do affect Christians. Also get informed regarding the Hope For America rallies. Our teens need to understand that we are fighting a war in this country to keep our constitutional freedoms from being taken away. They must realize what a blessing it is to freely attend church and that there may come a day where that is no longer a freedom we Christians have, which is why we must fight.
C. (Illustration) – “Are the things your living for worth Christ dying for?”
Encouragement for the Road:
“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:21
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Free Youth Ministry Ideas
Crack-a-Grin:
A minister told his congregation, "Next week I plan to preach about the sin of lying. To help you understand my sermon, I want you all to read Mark 17."
The following Sunday, as he prepared to deliver his sermon, the
minister asked for a show of hands. He wanted to know how many had read Mark 17. Every hand went up. The minister smiled and said, "Mark has only sixteen chapters. I will now proceed with my sermon on the sin of lying."
Hot Topix:
A. Earth Day 4/22-
Read Gen. 1:31 to the group and hold a discussion about our responsibility to be good stewards of the resources and planet God has provided us with and the fact that there are simple things we can all do to help out. I would also be sure to share that there is a difference between being a good steward and being a fanatic.
Plan on having a celebration for the day at whichever meeting is closest to the day. Help the group to come up with ways they can help protect the planet at home, school, and church. Buy a Large garbage can or container for aluminum cans, newspapers, etc. for the church. Have the teens paint various pictures that depict protecting our planet.
Another idea is to adopt a stretch of road in the community that needs to be cleaned up and meet on Earth Day. Provide refreshments for the teens after the clean up and make sure to take photos. Use these photos to put together a short slideshow to show the congregation what the youth group is up to.
B. National Day of Prayer - This has been such a hot topic lately with the Presidents decision to cancel events at the White House for the day. Hold a discussion on the disappearance of the evidence that our country was founded on the belief in God and what your teens can do to get involved.
Cover items (share the history of each) such as our money saying "In God We Trust", the 10 comm. being in the court rooms, swearing on the bible in court, prayer in school, etc. Be sure to talk about the recent decision by a Wisconsin Judge ruling that the government holding an event for the day is unconstitutional and how they feel about separation of church and state. Do they believe that's part of our problem with the country being a den of sin and so forth.
On the National Day of Prayer, set aside about an hour or two after school for teens to come by the church and pray for our leaders. Be sure there are several adults present.
Stat-O-The-Week:
A. The four most researched words on Google:
1.Sex 2.God 3.Jobs 4.Professional Wrestling
B.
10% - the amount of info we retain solely by listening
25% - the amount of info we retain by being told twice
50% - the amount of info we retain by seeing
(According to Skip Heitzig on his radio program "The Connection".)
Free Youth Ministry Resources:
1. Vision Board - Bring magazines, newspapers, print outs of images from the web and allow the teens to choose images and create pieces that represent what your goals are as a youth group. Also print out quotes and provide materials for the teens to write scripture on.
2.Illustration - The bible is like an MRI. Many times we like to think that we are a good person and therefore appear that way in front of the Lord and do not need to change anything in our lives. We get in the Word of God (have the MRI test) and the cancer present in our lives is revealed. Our teens need to understand that as Christians we are on a journey of transformation until we die and that God is in the business of change. We all like to deny our faults but is we will keep our hearts open, listen to God, and do as He says, we become a better person and grow closer to God.
3. www.speakupmovement.org - this site deals with various issues for all ages regrading our constitutional rights. Use it yourself and pass along to the teens.
Encouragement For The Road:
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. Psalms 19:14
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Free Youth Ministry Ideas
Hey Gang! I am on vacation and wasnt going to post anything for this week but decided to share a few great videos to use in your ministry. Have a great week and next week we will be back to our normal column!
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Free Youth Ministry Ideas
Crack-a-Grin:
About the time your face clears up your mind gets fuzzy.
Hot Topix:
We have two very important events coming up over the next couple of weeks. Sunday, April 11th is Holocaust Remembrance Day and Friday April 16 is the Day of Silence. Use your upcoming meetings to discuss these two important days and use the information below to aid in your talks.
1. Holocaust Remembrance Day - While your teens have all heard about the holocaust, their knowledge may be limited and most will be unaware of the day of remembrance. I suggest discussing the holocaust the Wednesday before and dedicate your sunday school meeting to honoring and remembering those who were lost during this horrific event. If your sunday schools classes are divided, bring them together for this. Here are some tips to get you going:
a. Put together a slide show of images and facts from the holocaust, then use it in one of your meetings
b. Invite a survivor or liberator to share their story with the group
c. Have a moment of silence and then prayer
d. Show the film Defiance (*note-you will need to get parents permission before this, as it has some poor language) a story of survival and new beginnings
2. Day of Silence - This is an event tat has some churches in an uproar and others actively participating. This event is a stand against the bullying and teasing of gay,lesbian,transgender kids. I believe that we, as Christians, should support such an event because God is Love and this is an opportunity to reach out to the gay community and plant seeds. At the official website, www.dayofsilence.com, you can print out speaking cards (which you can customize) for your teens to hand out, sticker templates, and much more. The best way to explain Christians participating in this event is as follows: As Christians we believe that homosexuality is a sin, we believe in standing up for what is right, and we know we can use this experience to plant seeds. It is that simple
You must get your teens to realize that living a homosexual lifestyle is a sin just as gossiping and lying are sins. This is definitely a topic to have a discussion on and get rid of some of the common misconceptions about homosexuality. If one of your teens is guilty of bullying or teasing, Discuss the different methods of bullying, such as posting things on a social networking site, texting gossip, and even actually filming bullying Or maybe they are guilty of not standing up for someone who was being verbally beat down and instead of saying something and walking away they kept quite. When we fail to do nothing, we are failing to do the right thing.
Even comments such as "That's so gay.", is hurtful and drives homosexuals to shame. This is no different than using the n-word. It is uncalled for and definitely not Christ-like. Don't allow this type of idle chatter in your youth group as it will have a negative affect on anyone who is dealing with same sex attraction.
"What are you going to do to end the silence?"
Stat-O-The-Week:
According to the Mental Health Association of Westchester's website-
78% of teens report that youth who are gay or thought to be gay are teased or bullied in their schools and communities.
93% of the teens hear youth use words like "fag," "homo," "dyke," "queer," or "gay" at least once in a while, while 51% of them hear it every day.
Free Resources:
a. www.iamnotashamed.org - A great opportunity for your youth group to be a part of the worlds first online video bible. Sign up at the website, record your group quoting a scripture or two, and upload it to the site. It's a fun way for your teens to proclaim that they are not ashamed to be a Christian.
b. www.commonsensemedia.org - This is the site for great reviews on the latest and hippest films, t.v., websites, books, and more. There is also a section designated for parents and they also have resources for teachers.
c. Pow Wows - This is a great ice breaker. Take 5-10 minutes at the beginning of class to have a pow wow. Divide your teens into groups of 5-10 and give each group a large marker and a dry erase board. Divide the paper into 2 columns, one pow and the other wow. The teens are to list what negative things have happened in their lives over the past week under pow and the positive things that have happened under wow. Have a member of each group read thru their list for the class and talk briefly about it. This is also a great way to get an inside view of whats going on in your kids lives!
Encouragement For The Road:
"Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him."
Romans 4:8
About the time your face clears up your mind gets fuzzy.
Hot Topix:
We have two very important events coming up over the next couple of weeks. Sunday, April 11th is Holocaust Remembrance Day and Friday April 16 is the Day of Silence. Use your upcoming meetings to discuss these two important days and use the information below to aid in your talks.
1. Holocaust Remembrance Day - While your teens have all heard about the holocaust, their knowledge may be limited and most will be unaware of the day of remembrance. I suggest discussing the holocaust the Wednesday before and dedicate your sunday school meeting to honoring and remembering those who were lost during this horrific event. If your sunday schools classes are divided, bring them together for this. Here are some tips to get you going:
a. Put together a slide show of images and facts from the holocaust, then use it in one of your meetings
b. Invite a survivor or liberator to share their story with the group
c. Have a moment of silence and then prayer
d. Show the film Defiance (*note-you will need to get parents permission before this, as it has some poor language) a story of survival and new beginnings
2. Day of Silence - This is an event tat has some churches in an uproar and others actively participating. This event is a stand against the bullying and teasing of gay,lesbian,transgender kids. I believe that we, as Christians, should support such an event because God is Love and this is an opportunity to reach out to the gay community and plant seeds. At the official website, www.dayofsilence.com, you can print out speaking cards (which you can customize) for your teens to hand out, sticker templates, and much more. The best way to explain Christians participating in this event is as follows: As Christians we believe that homosexuality is a sin, we believe in standing up for what is right, and we know we can use this experience to plant seeds. It is that simple
You must get your teens to realize that living a homosexual lifestyle is a sin just as gossiping and lying are sins. This is definitely a topic to have a discussion on and get rid of some of the common misconceptions about homosexuality. If one of your teens is guilty of bullying or teasing, Discuss the different methods of bullying, such as posting things on a social networking site, texting gossip, and even actually filming bullying Or maybe they are guilty of not standing up for someone who was being verbally beat down and instead of saying something and walking away they kept quite. When we fail to do nothing, we are failing to do the right thing.
Even comments such as "That's so gay.", is hurtful and drives homosexuals to shame. This is no different than using the n-word. It is uncalled for and definitely not Christ-like. Don't allow this type of idle chatter in your youth group as it will have a negative affect on anyone who is dealing with same sex attraction.
"What are you going to do to end the silence?"
Stat-O-The-Week:
According to the Mental Health Association of Westchester's website-
78% of teens report that youth who are gay or thought to be gay are teased or bullied in their schools and communities.
93% of the teens hear youth use words like "fag," "homo," "dyke," "queer," or "gay" at least once in a while, while 51% of them hear it every day.
Free Resources:
a. www.iamnotashamed.org - A great opportunity for your youth group to be a part of the worlds first online video bible. Sign up at the website, record your group quoting a scripture or two, and upload it to the site. It's a fun way for your teens to proclaim that they are not ashamed to be a Christian.
b. www.commonsensemedia.org - This is the site for great reviews on the latest and hippest films, t.v., websites, books, and more. There is also a section designated for parents and they also have resources for teachers.
c. Pow Wows - This is a great ice breaker. Take 5-10 minutes at the beginning of class to have a pow wow. Divide your teens into groups of 5-10 and give each group a large marker and a dry erase board. Divide the paper into 2 columns, one pow and the other wow. The teens are to list what negative things have happened in their lives over the past week under pow and the positive things that have happened under wow. Have a member of each group read thru their list for the class and talk briefly about it. This is also a great way to get an inside view of whats going on in your kids lives!
Encouragement For The Road:
"Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him."
Romans 4:8
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Free Youth Ministry Ideas
Crack –A-Grin:
Dear Pastor,
My mother is very religious. She goes to church every week to play bingo even if she has a cold.
Yours Truly, Annette, 9, Albany
Hot Topix:
“Abortion” – A topic that most parents and youth leader fail to discuss beyond the typical, “It’s wrong.” Or “It’s killing a baby.” Teens do not understand exactly what it is, the consequences of choosing this route, and so forth. Our teens are being raised to think that having an abortion “gets rid of their problem” because many want to have sex but none of the consequences. The majority of, if not all, the info they get comes from their friends and the media, not sources they should be taking life advice from.
Also, they need to understand that there are more serious and damaging consequences than getting pregnant or an Std. For instance, they are giving a piece of themselves away to that person they can never get back and that will be a factor in their subsequent also relationships/marriage. The video which I have provide a link to is proof of this lack of knowledge, feeling of no choice, lack of compassion, and the increasing problem.
Research the stats on teen pregnancy beyond what you will find in this week’s stats-o-the-week section and you will see the urgency. But don’t only address the problem (abortion); also address the behavior that leads to considering abortion. You will also want to bring up how it will affect their relationship with Christ.
Stat-O-The-Week:
The following stats came from www.grtl.org/statsandpolls.asp:
• ¾ of those having abortions say that having a baby would interfere with work, school, or other responsibility.
• Georgia has one of the 10 highest abortion rates in the U.S.
• 13 % of all U.S. births are to teens, of which 78% are unmarried
• 78% of women having abortions report a religious affiliation
• Abortion rates are highest among women 20-30 yr old, unmarried, white, w/ at least a h.s. diploma
Free Resources:
1. Connect: Real Relationships In A World Of Isolation
Pick this book up asap! Jonathon McKee has highlighted the most important aspect of youth ministry: Connecting with teens one-on-one. In an effort to educate and encourage youth leaders, volunteer and paid, McKee elaborates on the effect having youth leaders connect one-on-one with teens has on youth ministries and he does a great job. This is one you will be emailing and texting your fellow youth leaders about.
2. YouthWorker Journal
This bimonthly magazine highlights the latest youth culture trends, reviews for film, audio, and books, as well as very informative articles. This magazine rates number 2 on my top 5 ym magazines.
3. Movie Night w/ The Blindside:
Set up your classroom to look like the inside of a movie theatre by making up some posters, having someone take up tickets, and a refreshment bar. Use Ziploc baggies to bag up candies, chips, or cookies and of course have plenty of sodas and bags of popcorn. Allow each student to get one bag of popcorn, one bag of candy, and one soda pop. If you have a laptop and a projector use them to make the experience even better. Also make up flyers for your teens to hand out to their friends. This is a great outreach experience. Plan on having a short 10 minute talk after the movie where you discuss the Christian lessons in the film and of course share the gospel.
Encouragement For The Road:
I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. Romans 8:18
Dear Pastor,
My mother is very religious. She goes to church every week to play bingo even if she has a cold.
Yours Truly, Annette, 9, Albany
Hot Topix:
“Abortion” – A topic that most parents and youth leader fail to discuss beyond the typical, “It’s wrong.” Or “It’s killing a baby.” Teens do not understand exactly what it is, the consequences of choosing this route, and so forth. Our teens are being raised to think that having an abortion “gets rid of their problem” because many want to have sex but none of the consequences. The majority of, if not all, the info they get comes from their friends and the media, not sources they should be taking life advice from.
Also, they need to understand that there are more serious and damaging consequences than getting pregnant or an Std. For instance, they are giving a piece of themselves away to that person they can never get back and that will be a factor in their subsequent also relationships/marriage. The video which I have provide a link to is proof of this lack of knowledge, feeling of no choice, lack of compassion, and the increasing problem.
Research the stats on teen pregnancy beyond what you will find in this week’s stats-o-the-week section and you will see the urgency. But don’t only address the problem (abortion); also address the behavior that leads to considering abortion. You will also want to bring up how it will affect their relationship with Christ.
Stat-O-The-Week:
The following stats came from www.grtl.org/statsandpolls.asp:
• ¾ of those having abortions say that having a baby would interfere with work, school, or other responsibility.
• Georgia has one of the 10 highest abortion rates in the U.S.
• 13 % of all U.S. births are to teens, of which 78% are unmarried
• 78% of women having abortions report a religious affiliation
• Abortion rates are highest among women 20-30 yr old, unmarried, white, w/ at least a h.s. diploma
Free Resources:
1. Connect: Real Relationships In A World Of Isolation
Pick this book up asap! Jonathon McKee has highlighted the most important aspect of youth ministry: Connecting with teens one-on-one. In an effort to educate and encourage youth leaders, volunteer and paid, McKee elaborates on the effect having youth leaders connect one-on-one with teens has on youth ministries and he does a great job. This is one you will be emailing and texting your fellow youth leaders about.
2. YouthWorker Journal
This bimonthly magazine highlights the latest youth culture trends, reviews for film, audio, and books, as well as very informative articles. This magazine rates number 2 on my top 5 ym magazines.
3. Movie Night w/ The Blindside:
Set up your classroom to look like the inside of a movie theatre by making up some posters, having someone take up tickets, and a refreshment bar. Use Ziploc baggies to bag up candies, chips, or cookies and of course have plenty of sodas and bags of popcorn. Allow each student to get one bag of popcorn, one bag of candy, and one soda pop. If you have a laptop and a projector use them to make the experience even better. Also make up flyers for your teens to hand out to their friends. This is a great outreach experience. Plan on having a short 10 minute talk after the movie where you discuss the Christian lessons in the film and of course share the gospel.
Encouragement For The Road:
I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. Romans 8:18
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
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