Outdoor Day

Second.


For my job, I have to be creative. I bet ALL youth pastors feel this way. Somehow, we have to build an attractive yet meaningful program. It only seems to get more difficult with each new incoming class of sixth graders.
I find that if you can manage to balance fellowship with faith-centered life application learning, the relationships that form are rooted beyond youth group, and the youth come back. All of this is to say: It's really ok to have an event that is strictly for the purpose of bonding.
I got lucky today when the sermon was about accessing the courage God gave you with the familiar illustration of David and Goliath. At youth group, I had planned to do a Slip-N-Slide and water games. After church, I made my way to Walmart to grab a blow-up raft to slide on and a great idea came to me. I picked up some chalk and some water shooters, and I had myself a new game. I call it "Total Access".


Total Access:
How it works:
Divide your group into 2 teams. Each team gets one large water bucket and a shooter. On the ground where each team is to stand (side by side works fine, use a parking lot), draw a sling shot with chalk. Tell them they are not to step outside of their sling shot. About 5 feet in front of each team's sling shot, draw FEAR in large letters. Have each person draw a small image of one of their fears close to FEAR.


Have your students line up behind their sling shots with water shooters at the ready. When you say "go", each team member has 20 seconds to wash away as much FEAR as possible. The teams will race simultaneously while you count to 20 for each pair. After each team player has had 2 turns, see which team has the most FEAR left on the sidewalk (or parking lot).


**if you've seen the movie We Bought A Zoo, you remember the genius line "all you need is 20 seconds of insane courage to face your fear". -Such a great practical idea. That's why you count to 20.


The lesson behind this game is that God gives us total access to the courage we need to handle anything we face. Because of this gift, we can aggressively face our fears.