Youth and Recreation Activity Resource Center
Activity and Resource Center
SUPER SPUD SPECTACULAR FELLOWSHIP
Bill Nichols
This is a great fellowship for those colder months. A good supply of potatoes to bake and several toppings to go with them are all you need. Having this in someone's home usually suits the atmosphere best. Your favorite cold weather drink goes well with the baked potatoes. Part of the fun for this fellowship comes in the promotion. Use your fancy vocabulary and create an announcement with each word in the first sentence beginning with the same letter. Use a different letter for the entire second sentence. Change the first letter in each sentence. *
FILM FELLOWSHIP
Bill Nichols
A good way to have a simple fellowship is to have a film fellowship. Your budget may or may not allow you to order movies. If not, consider putting together favorite home movies of your church members. Or perhaps you could combine resources with another church for a joint
fellowship. The combined budgets would allow more flexibility to rent films.
A fun food to serve during movies is Frito pie. Buy large bags of Fritos. Grate cheese. Prepare chili. Secure plastic spoons, bowls, and napkins. Put all the ingredients in
bowls and let those present fix their own Frito pies. *
A TRICKY APRIL FOOL'S FELLOWSHIP
Erma Reynolds
INVITATIONS
On postcards print this invitation:
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FUN
Slick Trick: When everyone has arrived, each guest in turn does his trick, or stunt. Guests who did not bring a trick have to act out a forfeit. Each guest who succeeds in fooling the others with a trick is rewarded with a lollipop.
Quick Trick: Players are divided into two relay teams. The leader of each team is given a huge paper dunce cap that covers the head and falls over the face. At the signal, the leaders put on their cap and start a blind race to the goal at the opposite side of the room. Team members guide them with shouted directions. When they have been steered back to their team, Player 2 continues the race in the same fashion. And so it goes, on down the line, until one team finishes first. Each member on the winning team is rewarded with a candy kiss.
Lick Trick: Each player is given a gummed label. They form two lines, facing each other. At the starting signal each player holds the label behind his back and tears it into postage stamp size. Then they are instructed to lick the square and paste it firmly/onto the tip of their nose. After that it is up to each player to wriggle off the square without use of the hands. Last player to dislodge the nose piece has to perform a forfeit.
Pick-a-Trick: Divide the players into two teams, one designated APRIL, the other FOOL. Appoint a captain for each team. Announce that slips with the word TRICK written on them are hidden about the party rooms. When a player finds a slip he is to stand by it and shout his team name until his captain comes and picks up the slip. After the players have hunted for a few minutes, without anyone finding a slip, they will realize they have been TRICKED, for no slips were hidden.
Kick Trick: A large piece of paper is fastened to the wall. Each player in turn is given a pencil, and stands in front of the paper. He is instructed to swing his left leg clockwise, in a circular motion, and at the same time try to write the words, APRIL FOOL, on the paper. This is a tricky stunt because it takes tremendous effort to get the pencil under control. Any player who succeeds in writing the two words is rewarded with a candy bar.
Flick Trick: A large calendar page for the month of April is placed on the floor. Each player in turn stands on a throwing line six feet from the calendar, and is instructed to flick a 3 by 5 index card, trying to land it on April 1. The trick to this stunt is revealed when the prize goes to the contestant who landed his card farthest from April 1.
REFRESHMENTS
Refreshments are tricky too. Dessert is served first. This is ice cream cones, but instead of holding the expected ice cream, they contain fruit salad. Next sandwiches are brought to the table. Camouflage again. Instead of bread, they are made of white cake slices, with a frosting' 'filling." Punch is served in tea cups. *
FIRESIDE FELLOWSHIP
Marsha Eichenberg
For youth after church
Gather around the fire and sing hootenanny style. Pop the popcorn and cut French bread into 2 inch cubes. Dip in melted butter, roll in sugar and cinnamon and toast on a coat hanger.
Devotional thought: Discuss fire as a cleansing, purging, and refining agent. Discuss the need of trials and personal maturity. *
SCHOOL DAZE FELLOWSHIP
Bill Nichols
A good fellowship for early in the school year is one on the theme of school days of the past. The announcement can be in the form of poster and cards in the shape of the "little red school house." The room for the fellowship can be decorated like the inside of the one room school. For an interesting game, have a spelling bee. But be different. Have the teams single file facing each other. Instead of one person spelling a word, have each person in line only give one letter of the word until the entire word is spelled. Refreshments can be special when you serve biscuits, butter, jelly, honey, sausage, and hot chocolate. *
YOU ARE MY LEMON FELLOWSHIP
Bill Nichols
What a terrific way to spend a summer evening! The whole night will give you the taste of lemon. Announcements can be in the shape of a lemon on yellow paper. Refreshments can, of course, be lemonade and lemon cookies. The games can be lemon centered. Divide the group into three teams. Instruct one group to create a commercial about lemons, another to compose or arrange a song about lemons, and the last to use lemons to create a puppet show. For just an added touch decorate the room with lemon blossoms, and spray the area with lemon scented air freshener. *
RODEO RELAYS
Lynn Rutland
All young people love a rodeo-so why not have a rodeo of your own? It can be done right in your very own activity center or fellowship hall! Everyone will have an opportunity to be a "cowboy" or "cowgirl," and for the evening, experience the challenge of riding a bronc, roping a wild calf, goat butting, calf scrambling, barrel racing, riding in the exciting pony express, or entering the wild bull riding contest. Regardless of the size of your group, try something new this winter-have a rodeo!
The total group should be divided into four ranches, with each ranch sitting together. A foreman can be placed in charge of each ranch to select the rodeo participants. All ranches compete at the same time during each event. It is important to remember that each event can be modified if certain materials are not available.
The following rodeo events are suggested for junior high school age and above:
Goat Butting-Boy and girl teams line up in relay lanes or at the starting line on a round track. From a crawling position the players butt a ball with their head around a given marker and back to the starting line. Their partner takes the ball and does the same thing. It is best to let the four girls go first and pass off to the boys. The first boy to cross the finish line is the winner. The participants are not allowed to use their hands to guide the ball. An added
suggestion is to use hay bales as markers to form a round track.
Materials: four balls, hay bales (markers)
Bronc Riding-Each ranch chooses one person to ride a hoppity ball the full length of the "arena," break a balloon, and hop back across the finish line. The first bronc across
the finish line is the winner. The balloons can already be blown up or the riders can be given flat balloons and told to blow them up until they burst.
Materials: four hoppity balls, balloons
Calf Roping-Each ranch chooses one person to be a roper. They must ride a broom (horse) and carry two ropes, a long roping rope and a short piggin' string. A chair (calf) is set up for each person to rope. The object of roping is to ride as fast as possible to the roping line where they will stop. Then rope a chair which is three feet across the roping line. Then they must pull the chair over on its side and tie three legs together. The winner is the first person with both hands up in the air.
Materials: four brooms, four long ropes, four short ropes, four chairs, masking tape (for roping line)
C
alf Scramble-Each ranch chooses one person to enter the calf scramble. The person sweeps two Coke cans around a marker and back to the starting line. The winner is the first person with both cans and the broom across the finish line.
Materials: four brooms, eight cans, hay bales (markers)
Barrel Racing-Each ranch chooses one person to barrel race. They must ride a broom and balance a tennis ball on a spoon. The spoon can be held in the hand or in the mouth, according to the age group. The object is to carry the spoon and the tennis ball around a given marker and back to the starting line. If the ball falls, the person must start all over again. The winner is the first person to cross the starting line with the tennis ball still on the spoon.
Materials: four brooms, four spoons, four tennis balls, four hay bales
Pony Express-Each ranch chooses two boys and two girls to run pony express. Each ranch is given a broom (horse), two shoe boxes (stirrups), and a saddlebag. A round track is set up with hay bales. The object of this relay is to ride around the track as fast as possible and hand off the broom, boxes, and saddlebag to the next rider. When the last rider goes around the track, he must then go to the center of the track and put the saddlebag in a trash can. The winner is the first team with the saddlebag in the trash can.
Materials: four brooms, eight shoe boxes, four saddlebags, trash can, hay bales
Wild Bull Riding-Each ranch chooses one boy and one girl. The boy is blindfolded and he must carry the girl on his back. Each ranch will have three little flags stuck in alternate hay bales. The girl has to direct the boy to the flags, and after she has picked up all three flags then she directs him to a barrel, which is placed in the middle of the floor. The winner is the first team with all flags in the barrel. To keep the girl from talking, a raw egg is placed in her mouth. She must direct her partner by tapping him on the shoulder in the direction she wants to go.
Materials: four blindfolds, four sets of three flags, raw eggs, barrel (trash can)
Special Tips
1. To add more fun to the rodeo, give each ranch a name. Example: XYZ, 6666, Pitchfork, Running W, etc.
2. Name tags can be used if this is a "get-to-know-each other" activity.
3. A rodeo announcer is useful and adds a touch of realism.
4. No rodeo is complete without clowns. (Preacher, music director, Sunday School teachers)
5. If desired, a skit or special half-time entertainment can
be provided.
6. A score can be kept between the ranches. *
BUBBLE GUM BLOWOUT FELLOWSHIP
Bob Sessoms
PUBLICITY
Announce FREE BUBBLE GUM at this fellowship blowout.
INSTRUCTIONS
As each guest enters the room, hand him two pieces of wrapped bubble gum. Divide into equal groups. With a piece of poster board, the bubble gum, and wrapper, have the groups design a picture on the poster board. Allow 20-30 minutes.
Have judges view the works of "art" and award only a first-place prize: 1 piece of bubble gum.
For posterity, take a photograph of each creation. Be sure to discourage human figures.
REFRESHMENTS - Sprite floats *
A HALLOWEENCAROLINGFELLOWSHIP
Nancy James Sayers
Have fun and help some special little people with this fellowship idea. Admission cost is one large bag of Halloween treats per person. A Halloween candy binge is not wise, so don't forget treats such as raisins, nuts, apples, and other fruits, peanut butter crackers, oatmeal cookies, and other healthful foods. Bags, pumpkin baskets, or other holders for the treats
should be bought or made in advance. The fellowship date is the Sunday before Halloween.
Activity at the fellowship will be the filling of treat bags for a child's home, hospital, shelter or perhaps some other group known to the church. Follow up with the musical portion.
Packing gifts and packages is usually associated with Christmas, so a few Halloween carols will add a proper touch. Some examples of songs and titles are given to stimulate your creativity. Have fun writing in advance or as a part of the fellowship fun. Following the carols, serve refreshments and finalize plans for delivery of treats (and carols?) to the recipients.
O PUMPKIN PIE
(Tune: 0 Christmas Tree)
O pumpkin pie, 0 pumpkin pie
I think that's why so many cry
You're not quite all delicious.
You're only scrapings from old "Jack"
And miscalled "Sweet Pota-tah"
o pumpkin pie, 0 pumpkin pie
I'm still glad that I ate' cha,
PUMPKIN PICKIN'
(Tune: Jingle Bells)
Dashing through the patch
On a cold, clear autumn night,
The moon was bright and full
To help us pick just right.
We found some likely ones
But didn't choose just yet,
Then fell into a clump of vines
And we, we got upset.
Chorus:
Pumpkin head, pumpkin head
We want you to be
The brightest, biggest on our block
For all the kids to see!
Other title possibilities include the following:
Jolly Old Great Pumpkin (Jolly Old St. Nicholas)
We Wish You a Jack-O-Lantern (We Wish You a Merry Christmas)
Witches' Wonderland (Winter Wonderland) *
BABY, THIS IS YOUR LIFE
John Free
GET THE WORD OUT
Here is where you depend on parents to help in getting material for the fellowship and promoting enthusiasm among their youth. Send cards out to all youth promoting this social and telling them to be sure and invite a friend to this fun event.
REFRESHMENTS
Sandwiches, chips, and soft drinks are always great for a hungry group of teenagers. To add to the theme have ANIMAL CRACKERS for the dessert.
FUN ACTIVITIES
You'll need baby pictures of ten to twenty youth and an opaque projector for showing them on a screen. When a snapshot is shown up on the screen have everyone trying to guess who it is. Decorate the area with pictures of babies cut out of magazines. If available, have a baby bed, cradle, stroller, play pen situated around the room to give it a better atmosphere for your devotional thought. In a central location that can be seen by all, have a banner with "THIS IS YOUR LIFE" on it.
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NSPIRATIONAL THOUGHT
John 3: 1-7 is your Scripture text for your devotional time. Text deals with Nicodemus and his encounter with Christ. Everything should have led up to this point in the fellowship. This social is good for having your youth invite lost youth to attend. Emphasis is given to the fact that we are born of the flesh as seen in the baby pictures, but we must be born again in a spiritual nature in order to see the kingdom of God. Great for the non-Christian and
reassuring for the youth that is a Christian. *
GOING SOMEWHERE? FELLOWSHIP
Mabel King Beeker
If "half the fun is in planning," here's a way to have fun while planning how to go somewhere on a trip or in life.
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INVITATION Then bring your know-how-or bring your Along with a homemade cake. An alternate ending, if you do not want to request the teenagers to show off their own or their other needed facts.
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PREPARATION AND DECORATIONS
Collect maps of your locality, your state, other states, the United States, other countries, the Holy Land, and at least one of the whole world. Display some of these on the walls and place others on tables along with some atlases of the world and of the Holy Land and travel brochures and pictures of tourist attractions. If anyone in your church or community has attended a Baptist World Congress or a Baptist Youth World Conference, arrange to show pictures or other souvenirs of the trip.
ALL ABOARD
Map out your trip.-Possibilities for these trips include Baptist points of interest in your state or a nearby state; the Home Mission Board in Atlanta, Georgia; the Foreign Mission Board in Richmond, Virginia; one of the other Baptist Boards; Baptist World Alliance headquarters in Washington, D.C.; and the next Baptist World Congress or Baptist Youth World Conference. Divide into groups of four or five with an assignment, the map or maps needed, and paper and a felt-tip pen. Instruct each group to indicate on the map or the paper the best route to take, to list other places of interest in route, and to find out what they can about the place itself and about the sightseeing en route.
Map out your time. -Instruct each group to estimate how much time they would need to make the trip.
Map out entertainment. -Request each group to list songs to sing and suitable games to play on the bus or plane. Then take a break for refreshments-cake and juice or a frozen favorite-and several songs and games.
Map study. -Let each group, in turn, point out their place or places to be visited and tell what they learned about them that would interest the group. Then talk about the possibility of using their ideas for one or more trips during vacation time. In recent years many teenagers and their leaders have traveled to other areas to help with variations of Vacation Bible School or some other mission project. They have given enthusiastic reports about the response of the children to the Bible stories and other activities. Yours could, too.
Map out finances.-Lead the youth to estimate how much such a trip would cost per person: meals, lodging if the trip would last overnight, entrance fees if you include
ball games and sight-seeing en route. A head of time, investigate the possibility of getting the church to provide transportation for the mission trip. If that is not possible, challenge the youth to find ways to earn or save money for that expense also.
Long-range mapping. -The first Baptist Youth World Conference met in Czechoslovakia in 1931. Since then, it has met about every five years in Canada, other countries of Europe, Lebanon, the United States, and-in 1978-in the Philippines. Show pictures if they are available and see whether any of your youth are interested in beginning now to make plans to attend the next one.
Map our your life. -Use the following outline to develop a message that will challenge your youth to seek God's guidance in mapping out their lives. Ahead of time distribute the suggested Scripture verses.
1. Follow the Gleam which will throw light on God's will for your life. Several verses in the Bible refer to the guidance which God will give to those who seek it. (Ps. 32:8 from King James and a modern version; Isa. 58: 9-11; John 16:13; and Ps. 48:14)
2. Favor Your Bent, discovering, developing, and using the talents God has given you. (Eph. 4: 11-12; Matt. 25:14-15,19-27; Ex. 35:30-36; and 1 Pet. 4:11)
3. Watch for the Open Door and enter it while you have the opportunity, for it will not stay open always. (Rev. 3:7,20; 1 Cor. 16:9; Gal. 6:10)
In 2 Kings 18:23, TLB, we find this interesting, yet sad challenge from an Assyrian official: "I'll tell you what: Make a bet with my Master, the king of Assyria. If you have two thousand men left who can ride horses, we'll furnish the horses!" But the Israelites did not have that many trained horsemen; they were not ready to ride. Let each of us plan ahead so that we will be ready when our opportunities come.
Lead the youth in singing "Wherever He Leads, I'll Go," "I'll Go Where You Want Me to Go," or other songs on the theme of going somewhere. Pray or have sentence prayers or pause prayers for guidance for the youth as they plan and go through life.
ALTERNATE OR ADDITIONAL ACTIVITY
Places to go. -Let the youth guess what the places are:
1. Mountains where Indians smoked the peace pipe
2. .Bats from these caverns may eat several tons of flying pests at nearby farms each night.
3. This might be a good rock for cold weather.
4. Walk barefooted through the world's largest gypsum desert, which looks like a huge sand pile.
5. Four Presidents gaze out from this mountain. One can see seven states from this mountain peak.
Answers:
1. Smoky Mountains,
2. Carlsbad Caverns,
3. Chimney Rock,
4. White Sands,
5. Mount Rushmore,
6. Lookout Mountain.
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I CAN FELLOWSHIP
John Free
GET THE WORD OUT
This fellowship would probably be more appropriate for the junior high age group. Have a youth dress up in a container and parade down the hallway and through each department announcing the fellowship. Each young person will need to bring any kind of container to be admitted to this fellowship. The container can be made from an icebox crate very easily. Cut one end open for the head and decorate the entire box with some type of container design. (milk, Coke, soup, vegetable, etc.) Decorated posters with magazine ads featuring containers of any type are terrific.
REFRESHMENTS
Soft drinks in a can, orange drink and chocolate milk in cartons are great beverages. Chips in a container with canned dips are also good. Popcorn served in an empty 1 lb. coffee can is very appropriate for the theme.
FUN ACTIVITIES
Divide the group into two teams and give each group an equal amount of containers (quantity and number). Each team stands behind a large (5-10 gal.) container full of water and the object of the contest is for each team member one at a time to fill their container full of water and carry it to an empty (5-10 gal.) container at the other end of
the room. The first team to empty their container of water into the opposite container is the winner. You will need several mops for this fun activity. The amount of games are limitless with containers so plan to have a good fellowship when you have this one. Decorate the area with pictures of brightly colored containers and have a 50 gallon barrel (both ends cut out) decorated for the youth to crawl through at some time during the fellowship.
INSPIRATIONAL THOUGHT
Use Philippians 4: 13 for your Scripture text and remind the youth of their salvation experience. This is a good time to refresh each young person on a simple plan of salvation that they might be able to share with a classmate or friend. You might want to get their ideas on what it means to them when you speak about a person being born again. Close
out with several testimonies and! or sentence prayer. Remember to ask God to give each one the boldness needed to tell others about Christ and thank him for saving all of us. *
BALLOON BUST FELLOWSHIP
John Free
GET THE WORD OUT
Get a lot of balloons for this one because you will need them. Attach hanging balloons to the ceiling of each youth department and in the hall announcing the fellowship for the youth. It's best to do your publicity a week in advance and on the day that you will have the event. Cards may be sent out with drawings of balloons on them with all the pertinent information on them for reminders to the youth. Posters are always great with balloons on them but get
ready for them to be popped.
REFRESHMENTS
Punch is great, first, and inexpensive for your drink and chips and dips hit the spot for a hungry mob of kids.
FUN ACTIVITIES
Here is where the fun begins and there are endless things that you can do with balloons. Secure some darts and make a contest up where each person throws a dart at a balloon on a dart board and in each balloon put a piece of paper with a gag gift in it and then award prizes to the winners. Balloon basketball is also great for fun among teams. Two lines are given a balloon and one person at the opposite end of each line serves as the basketball goal. Each team member must pass the balloon over his head to the goal. The first team scoring 20 points is the winner. Decorate the area with giant balloons and small balloons attached to the walls and ceiling if possible. Each person may be given a certain colored balloon at the beginning of the fellowship and then that color determines which team they will be a member of.
INSPIRATIONAL THOUGHT
If possible obtain several balloons with helium in them and use these for your devotional idea. Use the simple illustration of letting one of the balloons rise and then pick up on how we as Christians will rise into Heaven when the Lord God comes again. Stress that those that are not saved will be left behind, in other words, their balloon will burst. (At this time you can push a pin into a balloon and burst it for added effects.) Challenge each young person to be concerned with the relationship that their loved ones and friends have with God. When the Lord comes for his people, will these that they are thinking about have everlasting life in Hell or with our Lord Jesus Christ? Use the scripture text in 1Thessalonians 4: 14-18; 5: 1-2. Close with prayer asking God to give us a renewed concern for others that we come in contact with each day. *
BANANA FELLOWSHIP
John Free
GET THE WORD OUT
Send out cards to your youth with the following information:
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WHY MONKEY AROUND? DON'T SLIP UP ON THIS FUN TIME |
REFRESHMENTS
Every church has its share of good cooks. You will probably want to have several ladies make banana nut bread, banana cake, banana cream pie, or banana pudding for the youth. If your group likes ice cream, then use your imagination and make a giant banana split for everyone to eat at refreshment time.
FUN ACTIVITIES
Let the group divide up into several small groups of two, preferably boy-girl teams. Blindfold both and let the girl try and feed the boy a banana. Be sure and have plenty of washcloths because it will get sloppy at times. The first team to finish first will be the winner of a bright Yellow Banana Bic Pen. Decorate the fellowship hall with pictures of missionaries, names of missionaries obtained from Open Windows booklet, posters with bananas and monkeys on them.
INSPIRATIONAL THOUGHTS
Since bananas come from South America the devotion should be connected to the importance of missions and missionaries in the world today. This provides an excellent time to create interest in your youth about the mission field as a vocation called by God. There are a lot of Scriptures that can be used to communicate the need for missions, but the best is the Great Commission where Christ speaks to his disciples in Matthew 28: 19-20. Information about foreign missions can be obtained from the Foreign Mission Board, P.O. Box 6597, Richmond, VA 23230. If available, have a furlough missionary speak to your group, or obtain filmstrips from the Baptist Book Store on Baptist Missions. This is a wonderful opportunity to influence some young mind toward the mission field. Close out with prayer for some missionary in the world and for each one to open his or her heart to God and his message to them about missions. *
APPLE FELLOWSHIP
John Free
GET THE WORD OUT
A great way to advertise for this fellowship is through lively decorated posters and by having one youth go into each department eating an apple and giving the publicity
for this fun time. For your posters you can use cutouts from magazines or draw your own apple with a green worm telling the youth about the upcoming event.
Also send postcards out which might read:
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To attend our Apple Fellowship
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REFRESHMENTS
This is the easiest part of the whole thing. Have ladies cook either an apple pie or apple turnovers. Serve apple juice or soft drink flavored in apple.
FUN ACTIVITIES
There is nothing like good old apple bobbing for the entire group to take part in. Other activities could include an apple eating contest, pass the apple under the chin contest, and hang an apple from a string attached to the ceiling and have each team try to take a bite out of the apple without using their hands. You can decorate the fellowship area with pictures of apples, apple trees, etc.
INSPIRATIONAL THOUGHT
The serious time of devotion should be centered around the topic of the fellowship, the Apple. Be sure and allow enough time for this part of the fellowship because this is the most important aspect of your ministry. The topic can be centered around the origin of our sin nature. Now there is no place in the Bible that definitely speaks of the forbidden fruit in Genesis as an apple, but through the ages in our country this fruit, the apple, has been characterized as the fruit belonging to the tree of knowledge in Genesis 2: 16-17. Attention can be given to the actual act of sin as seen in Genesis 3: 1-7, the judgment by God in verses 8-24 on Adam and Eve. One could also touch on how Satan tempts us to do his will. Close the fellowship with a prayer asking God to keep us strong and close to him in times that Satan tries to tempt us. *
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Tic-Tac-Tow Fellowship
John Free
GET THE WORD OUT
This fellowship is centered around the TV quiz show, Hollywood Squares. If you can find any pictures of this program use them for ads on posters placed in departments and hallways. Posters with Tic-Tac-Toe signs on them are easy to make and create interest among the youth.
REFRESHMENTS
Chili Pie (chili and Fritoes) is always a favorite for hungry youth. Add some chips and soft drinks and you will have a meal fit for a winner.
FUN ACTIVITIES
Take adhesive tape and make a Tic-Tac-Toe design on the floor and have 9 youth sitting in chairs at designated spots. These youth will serve as the celebrities being asked a certain question over the Bible. You have two contestants and they try to guess if the celebrities are telling the truth. A right answer will be awarded either an X or 0 in the corresponding space. Questions asked in this quiz can be obtained from the Fun Encyclopedia by E. O. Harbin or make up your own.
INSPIRATIONAL THOUGHT
Take the X's and 0’s that you have been using in the Tic-Tac-Toe game and make a personal application with them to each young person. You will need a blackboard or overhead projector to illustrate your devotional thought.
Draw two circles and place in the middle of one a S (represents SELF) and in the other a C (represents CHRIST) or a CROSS (Christ on the throne). Ask the question, which one of these circles represents your life right now? Explain each illustration.
S- Self rules life C- Christ in the center of our life.
C- Christ off the throne of life S- Pushed to the side where it belongs.
Which circle would you like to govern your life?1. Scripture text: John 14:21 (Obey God at all times);
2. Galatians 5: 16- 17 (Allow God to control your life);
3. 1 Peter 5:6-7 (Trust in God). Ask God to control our very thoughts and actions so that we will be able to show others that God controls our lives. *
CANDLE FELLOWSHIP
John Free
GET THE WORD OUT
This can be a lot of fun when you have several youth advertise this fellowship carrying lighted candles into each youth department. Posters with candles on them and the necessary information for publicity can be placed throughout the youth departments.
REFRESHMENTS
Since this fellowship will be carried on in candlelight, assorted cheeses, grapes, dips, chips, party crackers and soft drinks are great.
FUN ACTIVITIES
All games are by candlelight and you will need a good supply of matches for the first game, a candle blowing contest. Youth are divided into teams and the first team that keeps their candles lit will be the winner. Also have several mops ready and a good supply of water guns for an old-fashioned candle shootout.
INSPIRATIONAL THOUGHT
Begin with the Scripture in Luke 11:33. Stress to each young person that we as Christians carry the light of Christ in us. We must not hide the light of our salvation, but light the way for others to see Jesus in our actions. Conclude with the hymn, "The Light of the World is Jesus," Hymn No. 88 in the Baptist Hymnal, 1956. And then have sentence prayer asking God to use us all as effective witnesses. *
FISHERMEN FELLOWSHIP
John Free
GET THE WORD OUT
Publicity is simple for this youth event. Send postcards to all youth with an outline of a fish on it, giving the (date), (time), and (place). Youth departments can be decorated with many fishing items such as rod and reels, fishing poles, fishing nets, cutouts of fish on colored construction paper and placed on walls. (Each cutout should have a Bible verse on it; several that you might use are Matthew 7:10, Jeremiah 16:16, Isaiah 50:2, Mark 1:17, Amos 4:2 and Isaiah 19:8.)
REFRESHMENTS
Tuna fish sandwiches, chips and soft drinks are all that is needed for this fellowship. Just be sure and have plenty.
FUN ACTIVITIES
Have someone dressed as a fisherman at the entrance way to greet youth as they arrive.
The fellowship hall should be decorated with fishing tackle, fish cutouts suspended from the ceiling and if possible a small boat and fishing net and oar will be great for stimulating interest.
Have several groups to choose one member as the Great Fisherman and then decorate that person as a fish.
Paste, freezer paper, colored construction paper, scissors, string and crayons should be supplied for this energetic task.
INSPIRATIONAL THOUGHTS
Your devotional thought should come from Matthew 4: 19. This gives an excellent time to speak to youth on effective witnessing.
Close with quickie testimonies (where each individual stands and gives the following information: age saved, place saved and how many people were present).
Show each youth how simple it is to witness just by giving their simplified testimony of what God has done for them.
Close with a prayer asking God to give each one an opportunity to tell someone about Jesus Christ before he next fellowship time. *
HAY RIDE FELLOWSHIP
John Free
GET THE WORD OUT
Make posters with a hay wagon on it publicizing this fellowship.
Send out cards to the youth that say
REFRESHMENTS
Hayloft snacks (finger sandwiches), Hay-Makers (Hawaiian Punch), Hay-Seed (peanuts and popcorn), Hay-Wire (shoe string potatoes) and Hay-Forks (toothpicks in olives and/or cheese squares).
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Be sure and Hay-ng around For our Hay Ride Fellowship TIME, DATE, PLACE
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FUN ACTIVITIES
Make a scarecrow and have it at the entrance of the hay field. If possible, have several bales of hay placed around the fellowship hall for youth to sit on while viewing the movie, "Hey There, Vonda!" (30 minutes and color). This is a great film for showing youth how to let their light shine before men that they might glorify God.
INSPIRATIONAL THOUGHT
Make a banner out of freezer paper. Using the theme, HAY RIDE, make an inspirational acrostic. Hang the banner so that all may see it. Take off on this banner and speak to the youth on how much God needs their support for his continuing ministry. Christ needs a young person's prayers for other lost young people, missions, and he needs the interest of young minds and their devotion to him at all times. Christ wants and needs a young person's energy to carry the word of God to a lost world. *
FOOT FELLOWSHIP
John Free
GET THE WORD OUT
This is a great time to get your feet wet with the youth. Posters with your footprints on them are excellent. Colored construction paper cutouts of feet are also good. Information about this fellowship can be put on one or more foot imprints for the youth to see.
Cards can be sent out with the following on them.
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Ever Seen Someone Put His Come to Our FOOT FELLOWSHIP ……… TIME, DATE, PLACE
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REFRESHMENTS
Nothing else will do here except good ... Foot Long Hot Dogs, chips, and soft drinks.
FUN ACTIVITIES
Let your imagination run wild here. A shoe scramble is a good get acquainted game where everyone's shoes are thrown into a big pile and then teams of two make a mad dash for their shoes. First team to get their shoes on will be the winner. A TOE-NAIL Art Contest lets the girls display their artistic ability by decorating the guys' toes. Foot relay teams can be fun when each person has to pass an object with only the use of their feet. Decorate the fellowship area with huge foot prints on the floor, wall, and ceiling.
INSPIRATIONAL THOUGHT
Base your devotional time around either John 12: 1-3 or Luke 7:37-38. Both of these Scriptures picture the customs of that day and time. It was a token of hospitality to guests when they were offered ointment for their feet and here we have both women humbling themselves to Christ. This is a good time to touch on the humility that all Christians must have in order to worship God and show adoration. In closing have a young person lead in prayer asking God to humble all of us and draw us closer to him. *
LEFTOVERS FELLOWSHIP
Elizabeth Nicholls Kyzar
INVITATION
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It is wrong to be wasteful. We're using DATE TIME PLACE
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PUBLICITY
Write the invitations in several colors of ink on each one as if using leftovers. Make posters in the same way.
DECORATIONS
Place vases of mixed flowers in the fellowship hall and on the refreshments table. Cover the table with mats of different sizes and colors. Use paper napkins and cups of various sizes and colors. Have a few odds and ends of candles on the table in different holders. Create the effect of leftovers.
REFRESHMENTS
Serve different kinds of small sandwiches cut in several shapes with cookies mixed in on odd plates and dishes or even scatter some on the table. Serve several kinds of drinks in half-full pitchers to resemble leftovers. The people who supervise the serving might wear big patches of torn material on their clothes.
GAMES
Handy Leftovers. -If a large crowd attends, place as many rows of chairs as needed to seat the guests. Have each player to clasp the right hand of the person on the left side of player No.1. Choose several very small potatoes, nuts, and fruit. Use anything difficult to pick up in haste. Player No. 1 picks up an article from the pan with his left hand and hands it over to the left hand of the player to his right, while still clasping right hands. If a player drops an article he is out of the game. At all times during the game the right hands of the players must remain clasped. The line having the most players left over at the end of ten minutes is the winner.
Leftover Information. -Hang a clothesline in plain view of the players. On this line hang twelve articles of leftovers. Ask each player to close his right eye and with his left eye
look over the left shoulder of the person sitting beside him. Allow three minutes to see what is on the line, and then remove it. Ask each player to describe what he saw.
Leftover Hop.-Place six articles in a straight line twelve inches apart. Ask each player to hold up his right foot and hop over each article with the left leg without touching the
article.
Song: "Goodbye Leftovers"
(tune: "Goodnight Ladies." Make enough copies for each guest to have one.)
Goodbye, leftovers! Goodbye, leftovers!
Goodbye, leftovers! We've had a plenty now.
Hopefully we'll have some more, have some more, have some more,
Hopefully we'll have some more along life's happy way.
Elizabeth Nicholls Kyzar
MESSAGE (by some designated person)
We've had our fun, now let's be serious for a few minutes. This fellowship has been made up of leftovers different from the familiar ones. Some people attach no value to leftovers nor appreciate them. Remember how our Lord fed the five thousand with five loaves and two
fishes?
The people were hungry to hear Christ preach and had followed him. Even though he was tired and needed rest, when he saw the multitudes he was not disturbed but looked upon them with deep concern. His provision for them was miraculous. The disciples gave him their five loaves and two fishes they had for themselves. He took the loaves and fishes, looked up to heaven, blessed and broke them. He gave the loaves to the disciples and the disciples gave them to the multitude. They all ate and were filled. Then what happened? They took up twelve baskets full of fragments, one for each disciple.
We learn some worthwhile lessons from Matthew 14. The disciples yielded what they had into Christ's hands and he multiplied it. He looked up to heaven, blessed and broke the food. He gave it to his disciples and his disciples gave it to the multitude. If we commit ourselves and our possessions into Christ's hands willingly and offer prayers of thanksgiving, truly he will bless us with ample supplies for ourselves and enough leftovers to share with needy people. Wasting anything is wrong when so many people could use and be made happy with our leftovers. We live under the grace of the gospel. Let's use our leftovers for the glory of God and thank him for his every provision.
"Doxology" in unison
PRAYER
that we realize the importance of the proper use of leftovers
REFRESHMENTS
Use your imagination. *
STUDY COURSE SLUMBER FELLOWSHIP
Margaret Epperson
For girls only
Teaching a study course to young girls and having a difficult time getting them all together? Try a slumber party with your time carefully planned. How about a Sunday night after church when the following Monday is a holiday, a Wednesday night after prayer meeting when the next two days are holidays, a Friday night when there are no school sports scheduled, or any night that applies to your particular girls.
The majority of our study courses for teenage girls are designed for five hours of study. Below is listed a suggested schedule that includes four hours of study during a slumber party. The fifth hour of study could be worked in two ways. You might have an hour of study to begin your book with the meeting night just before the scheduled party or you could have an hour of study the following week after the party during your regular meeting.
8:00 P.M........................................ Eat Supper
8:30 P.M........................................ First Session Study Course
10:30 P.M........................................ Break
11:00 P.M........................................ Second Session Study Course
2:00 A.M....................................... Time to eat again
1:00 A.M....................................... Third Session Study Course
2:00 A.M....................................... Free Time or SLEEP!
9:00 A.M....................................... Party's over
When you plan the party, decide on what food your girls will like and divide the food to be brought so that everyone is included to bring a portion.
Have some fun games planned that are not particularly related to the study course for the times that are free. Probably you will not need these games because the favorite pastime of girls is talking. You might have different questions or timely topics written down to get discussion going between your quieter girls if you feel they are becoming bored during free time.
When teaching your study course book, please do follow the suggestions in the teachers guide for involving the girls. Your study will seem to fly if you involve the girls and what they retain from the study will be greater. I have used this idea for Foreign or Home Mission Study with older GA's and Acteens and have been thoroughly pleased with the results. *
DYN-A-MITE INN FELLOWSHIP
Toni Willeke
Each person is given a small stack of paper (6 pieces). They are instructed to sign their names on each piece. Then solve the menu that is in riddle form. People are encouraged not to tell their neighbors what they order. Object is to receive food in proper sequence, and obtain utensils first.
Select any three items on the menu. All three must be eaten (if edible) before reordering an additional three items.
(Shown on menu) (Not shown on menu)
Lovers' lane Spoon
Popeye’s Choice Olive
Pay Day Celery
Big Bad Wolves' Delight BBQ
Money Maker Mint
Guillotine Knife
Honeymooner's Desire Lettuce (Let-Us-Alone
OAPHO Potatoes
Haymaker Fork
Ford V-8 V-8 Juice
Well known Water
C. B. Smile Ham and Cheese Sandwich
π Pie
Cousin's Nap Napkin
T. K. O. Punch
Musical Fruit Baked Beans
Nervous Knoxs Jello
Typical Teenager Nuts
Tables of four to six should not be placed too close to other tables. Because of the secrecy of the menu it is suggested that as few people as possible work on menu, and serving of the food. To recover food cost charge each person rather than have them bring food.
Excellent party for all age groups.
SUGGESTIONS
Use paper plates-get another class to act as waitress or waiters.
DECORATIONS
Mining area with simulated explosives, danger signs. *
FRACTURED FOOTBALL YOUTH FELLOWSHIP
Melanie B. Smith
For an after-game youth gathering or a fall fellowship, plan to involve everyone with a "Fractured Football" theme.
Plan to divide youth into two competing teams for games and other activities. To avoid partiality, use only colors and mascots belonging to no local school for decorations and team names. Name one team the "Chartreuse Kangaroos" and the other the "Magenta Mice." Decorate the room with both teams’ colors and mascots, using crepe paper shakers, streamers, banners, and pennants. Arrange chairs to make a "bench" for each team. decorate a Ping-Pong table like a football field, using narrow masking tape as yard lines and dowels stuck in modeling clay as goal posts.
As youth enter the room, pin on each person a paper spirit ribbon designating them as members of one or the other of the teams. The ribbons should boast slogans such as "Go 'Roos! Massacre the Mice" or "Go Mice-Clobber the Kangaroos!" Teams need not be exactly even.
For a mixer give each youth a pencil and a list of definitions of various football terms. Have written, for example, "One who leads a team's offense" with two blank lines drawn beside the definition. Instruct youth to think of the term that matches the definition, write it in the first blank, find the term actually illustrated on a person there, and then write the name of that person in the second blank. So, to match the term "quarterback," you would have beforehand taped a quarter on the back of an early arriver, telling him to act normal and say nothing about the quarter. Have about twelve definitions listed and illustrated on persons. Here are some terms you might define and ideas for illustrating them: sideline (draw a chalk line down someone's side), linebacker (tape a string across person's back), down (girl wears feather earring), block (girl wears necklace with large cube beads), halfback (50 taped on person's back). Declare winner the one who first correctly completes his sheet and have him read the answers to the group.
Now divide the group into the two teams and set them on their opposing "benches." Explain that their teams really are going to play "Fractured Football," but first everyone has to get into the spirit. Have each team choose a girl for their cheerleader. Give each cheerleader her uniform, an old T-shirt decorated with her team's mascot and colors. Have each cheerleader help her team create a cheer and then lead them in giving it.
Have each team now send a boy up to the front. Explain that no team starts playing without first warming up, and their first exercise is the push-up. Give each boy a frozen push-up style ice cream treat and start them eating at the same time. The one finishing first wins for his team. Now get a girl and another boy from each team. Explain that their warm-up is the run. Give each boy a knee-length stocking and explain that the boy must remove his shoe
and sock on one foot, put on the stocking as far as it will go, and then put a run in the stocking (holes don't count!). The girl is to assist him verbally but cannot do anything for him. Start them together, and the one with the first run wins.
Now get another girl and boy from each team. Seat the boy about four feet from and facing his girl partner. Give each girl ten small candy-coated peanuts. Tell them that in this passing and receiving warm-up, the girls are to toss the candy one at a time and the boys must catch them in their mouths. Declare winner the boy who catches the most. For the last warm-up get a boy or girl from each team and bring them up front to a table. Explain that in this blocking exercise they are to see which one can stack a single column of blocks the highest. Use blocks as much alike as possible. The winner is the one with the highest stack made in two minutes.
Tell your group that it's now almost kickoff time. Get four members from each team and place them alternately around the decorated Ping-Pong table, three on each side and one on each end. Explain that to play "Fractured Football," a team must blow a Ping-Pong ball into the end zone (or if you prefer, off the end of the table) of their opponent's goal. Explain that quarters will be three minutes long, and teams must substitute everyone at the end of each quarter. Have a referee and a timekeeper with a stopwatch. To begin play, the ref drops the ball on the fifty-yard line, and team members, with their hands behind their backs, begin blowing the ball. If the ball goes off the side of the table, the ref calls time and the timekeeper stops his watch until the ball is in play again.
At halftime have "homecoming" activities. Use an old sheet on which you've drawn four life-size contestants for queen with names like Nelda Nockneed, Toni Toejam, and Wanda Wartankles. Have four men sponsors you enlisted beforehand go into a side room and arrange themselves behind the sheet, pants legs rolled up and bare arms stuck through slits cut in the sheet. Have two other
sponsors hold the ends of the sheet so only the men's legs show and guide the contestants out. Present them one at a time, pointing out distinctive features, and have the youth
choose by applause the queen, who receives a bouquet of weeds and a paper crown pinned to the sheet.
Proceed with the final quarters of the big game, with promise of a real prize for the winning team. Immediately after the game is over, award to the winners a decorated cake or homemade cookies to be shared among the team members. Serve everyone refreshments, perhaps sausage balls, popcorn, and peanuts (all served from helmets) with hot chocolate.
To close the evening, have a respected local Christian