I recently presented one of my favorite youth group events to date! The idea struck me a long time ago to use popular iPod/iPhone apps to make a point about APPlying our faith to our daily decisions.
The popular catchphrase "There's an App for That" is from the 2009 iPhone 3G commercial. I opened my app store and looked through the Top 25 purchased apps. With these app titles and concepts, I was able to transform the average Sunday night into a memorable adventure with the group.
Station 1: Angry Birds
Tearing down walls was an easy concept to transfer into a faith based message. I stacked paper bags and cardboard planting cups on the edge of the stage in our Great Hall and bought beanies that looked like the characters from Angry Birds. Two teams competed against each other to be the first to tear down their towers.
Remember middle school? All we wanted was to fit in and not get laughed at. High school? We wanted boys to notice us and to not be sitting by ourselves at lunch. We envied those who had more than us and climbing socially was permanently on our agendas. Pressure. This pressure is a giant wall just WAITING to be torn down.
Every insecurity that we let affect our actions and thoughts is a blocky shape in Tetris that gets us closer and closer to "Game Over". How do we tear it down? To be clear, if we let Him, Jesus could break down this wall with one breath. However, that would require lots of courage that we may need to build up first. The bible teaches us to love our neighbor, not to be jealous, and live wholly for God. If we take each situation and each pressure we feel from society and use our faith to battle it, we slowly tear down our walls that keep us from living the way God wants us to.
Station 2: Fruit Ninja
Go with me on this one. Ninjas fight, and we all get into it sometimes whether we mean to or not. The point to make with this one is Fair Fighting. We discussed how to disagree with someone without trying to prove the other person wrong -and that it IS ok to not have the last word.
No, I didn't give the students machetes and cantaloupes to chop. Instead, I set up a laser course made with red string with bells attached to them (like that scene from Oceans 11). The string was strung at different angles and slants that the students had to maneuver through to get to the other side. For the fruit, I peeled and halved lemons and limes that they had to keep in their mouth until they reached the end. The kids were helping each other and cheering and figuring out the course together. This activity produces many hilarious pictures an videos!
Station 3: My Calendar
Believe it or not, My Calendar was a very popular app. I made a simple point that we need to make time for God in our schedules. We need to spend the time reading the Bible and talking to Him and taking time to listen.
I shamelessly plugged the youth group events that were coming up in the near future and wrote them on separate sheets of paper with their dates on them. I separated the group into 2 teams. Each team got a dart gun and were prompted to race each other to hit all of the events on My Calendar. This game was easy and fun!
Station 4: Temple Run
For this App, I tried to illustrate that church is much more than a building. Church is a place for real relationships and a place to build life skills that bring us closer to God. When we are feeling damaged, hurt, scared and under pressure, we need to run to church. Retreat to this place that knows when we aren't there, cares about us, and helps us figure out how to handle the blows life throws at us.
I used masking tape to build this course. It was basically a line that made a circle that had gaps in it. To complete the course, the students had to run along this line and jump across the gaps. I had someone waiting with silly string at one of the gaps to spray the jumpers for an added obstacle. We timed the students and tried to beat the best time. This was hilarious and fun and everyone was having a great time!
I loved this event because it is current and mashed up popular apps with bible points. I had a lot of fun planning this one and am encouraged to keep coming up with original ideas! Comment or Link me to some of your YG activities! I want to read all about creative ways to engage students!
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