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Moving Parts
It's Your Move
Work Zone and High Way
At 5 min. till start "Learn to Fly" -Foo Fighters and a 4 min. video countdown. When the song's done, welcome, & introductions, make announcements.
Which Way Are We Moving
Work Zone & High Way
Begin with a large group&ldots;
INVOLVE ME AND I WILL UNDERSTAND...
It's an amazing phenomenon! Sometimes I amuse myself by watching the fascinating behavior of our youth group during worship service. At first they come in, somewhat attending to what's going on and head for the balcony. Then the music starts and almost instantaneously, it's like someone flipped a switch and turned something off. They zone out of the activity in the pulpit and engage in activity with each other, oblivious to what we call "worship." And if I am honest with myself, I really can't blame them. Sometimes I zone out too, but I prefer to call it daydreaming. Either way, I too have turned off the action up front. What is the trigger for this behavior? Why does zoning out happen?
As I wondered, I noticed that most of the participants in our worship service were elders in the church. Rarely did our youth and young adults participate in the pulpit during our regular worship services. If they did participate in regular services, it was to perform some musical skill. In addition, I found that most of the worship service was geared towards adults talking to adults. No wonder our teens tuned out of our services! They didn't want to eavesdrop on the conversations we adults were having among ourselves. One of our youth said to me a while back, "I know what I believe. The question for me is where do I fit in? Where do I belong?" There is a Chinese proverb that says, "TELL ME AND I WILL FORGET. SHOW ME AND I MAY REMEMBER. INVOLVE ME AND I WILL UNDERSTAND." Tonight we are going to look at some ways we can be involved in the life of our church.
Break into Journey Groups
Moving In
Work Zone
Target Practice
Materials needed: fling socks, table, pot
Use fling socks tossed up in the air to land in a pot in the center of a round table. Set the table in an area where the youth will have a boundary so they wont get to close. Make the object to see who can make the first bull's eye by hitting the pot in the very center of the table. Play as long as time permits and see how many bull's eyes your group can get. (5 Min.)
Say: The object of the game that you just played was to try and hit the very center of the target. God wants you to make him the center of your life and sometimes it's hard to hit that target.
Ask:
· What if you were standing right around the table when you tried to hit the target?
· How is standing close to the table like being in church?
Say: People do not appreciate water until they are thirsty. They don't realize how much they love food until they are starving. Neither will people realize that they need church until they know why they should be there. You can't enjoy church until you know what church is.
Suppose I came to you and said, I just spent my entire life savings on the cure for Pelathitis, a fatal disease. I've spent my life finding this cure, and I want you to have this cure free of charge. You'd probably think I was a little crazy. You probably would have no interest in the cure because you don't even know what Pelathitis is. However, if I proved to you that you had the symptoms of Pelathitis disease, and I convinced you that your certain death was near. Then you might be more likely to ask, "Is there a cure for Melathitis?" Then, if I show you that I do have the cure and I offer it to you free of charge, you would be very grateful. In the same way, you cannot convince people that they need God in their lives until they understand what it is to be separated from God. To hit the target it helps to get closer and church is one way to help you out.
Moving In
High Way
How Do You Spend Your Time?
Materials needed: The white board, a marker, "Time Sheet" hand out
Draw a large circle on the white board. Explain to your group that you want to make a pie chart that represents how much time everyone spends on certain activities in 24 hours.
Use the handout "Time Sheet" to write down the hours spent on average for the group. Then transfer the results to the pie chart.
For example, if everyone sleeps an average of eight hours per day, then the pie slice for "sleep" would be one-third of the circle. Continue until your pie is full of slices that represent what your group does on a normal day.
Once the pie chart is finished, say: You probably noticed that the largest slices go to sleep and school, and one of the smallest slices goes to church or God. Should God play a bigger part? How much of your life does God really want? The only answer is 100%, but that creates a problem for the pie chart.
Ask:
· How do you give Jesus 100% of your time if you still have to do these other things; like eat, sleep, homework, etc.? You've got to make God the center of everything you do; God should become your pie chart
· How hard is it to make God the center of your Life?
· How can God be a part of eating, homework, practice, blogging?
Moving on
Work Zone & High Way
(Work Zone split into smaller groups)
Reach Out
Say: It's very easy to spend our entire lives hanging out with people we are comfortable with. We form cliques and make friendships and sometimes forget that there are people all around us who need us.
As Jimmy walked home from school, he noticed another boy his age about a block ahead of him. This other boy dropped all of his things on the ground and was having trouble gathering them up. Jimmy ran forward to help. He said, "Hi, my name is Jimmy." The other boy introduced himself as Kevin.
Jimmy walked with Kevin to his house. Kevin invited Jimmy inside, and the two played video games for a while. Jimmy finally left to go home. The two boys did not become the best of friends, but they talked to each other occasionally at school.
At graduation, Kevin told Jimmy this story. He said, "That day that I was walking home from school and I dropped my things was the day I had given up. The reason I was carrying so many things is that I emptied my locker out at school. I was planning to bring a gun back the next day to shoot everyone. I took my stuff home because I knew it would be the end for me.
However, when you came along that day and spent time with me I decided that at least someone cared and there might be more."
Jimmy realized that his simple decision to make himself available had saved someone else's life.
Ask:
· Do you know anyone that you just can't stand?
· Do you know anyone that hardly ever talks to others?
· What can YOU do to fix how you get along with the people you just can't stand?
· What can YOU do to reach those that don't fit in your life?
Moving up
Work Zone & High Way
The Radio
Say: A radio can provide you with different sources of information, entertainment, and news when you tune in different frequencies. When you tune in to different stations, you receive different broadcasts. And if a person isn't familiar with the stations, they'll have to search for program formats they like.
Ask:
· Have you ever had to search for something to listen to while on vacation or in a different town?
· What happens if you don't know what to listen to?
· What makes you stay on a particular station?
· Would you ever just keep trying the stations your familiar with?
Say: Can you see how the radio is like spiritual guidance. It's like there's an abundance of spiritual challenges trying to get your attention, broadcasting their temptations and deceptions. I'm not talking about the actual music; it's a metaphor about life's distractions. If you are always tuned into doing what you've always done you'll never find what you need as you continue on your journey. Look for ways to tune into the opportunities around you.
Moving out
Work Zone & High Way
Debate
What do you think of these statements-T (true) or F (false)?
Vote on each of the following statements, debating any controversial issues that come out of the discussion.
__ Attending church as a child makes living the Christian life easier as a teenager.
__ It's normal for teenagers to rebel against the church.
__ It's the church's responsibility to motivate a teenager's involvement in church.
__ Teenagers should be allowed to attend different churches than their parents.
__ Parents and their teenagers need to agree on spiritual matters.
__ Most kids would rather go to church by themselves.
Ask:
· On a scale of 1-10 (1 being "I'm real involved" and 10 being "Church? Involved? What?") How involved in the church are you?
· How effective are church services for you?
· What would make the church service good for you?
· How do you think you can be involved in "Big" church?
· What rewards do you get from being a part of a church family?
· What would you do if you weren't part of a church?
More Movement
High Way
If you have time: What does the perfect worship service look like? Describe what you would like to see our church do with worship. Include: days, times, lighting, A/V, music, and anything else.
More Movement
Work Zone
Ups & Downs
Needed: Lots of cheep party cups
Say: We're going to play a game to demonstrate how a larger number of people make tasks easier. We'll divide into two teams, one side is the up side and the other side is the down side. We'll place cups all around in the FLC. At "Start", each teams has to see how many cups they can turn over or set up without guarding. At the end we'll count and see which team won.
Ask:
· Now, before we start, how hard would it be if just you and one other person were doing all of your teams work?
· How does this relate to YOU being at church?
Come back together in the FLC
Closing
Work Zone & High Way
The Leader Closes: Gather in a circle.
Sum up the lesson
Say: Tell me and I will forget, show me and I may remember, involve me and I will understand. If we are standing on the sidelines waiting for God to show us what to do, we have a problem. If you are praying that God shows you His will for your life you are asking the wrong things. What do you think about that statement? (If you are praying that God shows you His will for your life you are asking the wrong things.) &ldots;&ldots;&ldots;CRAZY? &ldots;&ldots;&ldots; NO, we should be asking what God's will IS. Not for ME or for YOU but in general. What is His purpose? Once you know His purpose, then you will know what your purpose is. Focus on God not on ME! Sometimes we ask God for a detailed road map to follow. We say, "Why don't you just tell me where you want me, just tell me to go to church and I will set a course and go." However WE are not to do anything but to follow Him step by step one day at a time. To find God's will, just look where He is working and join Him! Recognize &ldots;&ldots;..Find &ldots;&ldots;.. Follow.
Close In Prayer: Dear Lord, we've come together as a group again this week and continue to do your work. Help us to realize we need others and their views and opinions. Help us to put You before Me that we might reach out to others in Your name. Grant us the wisdom to see Your will clearly and forgive us for being centered around ourselves. Help us to learn to fly for Your purpose. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
Sing Sanctuary
UMYF Benediction
