Youth Mission Day: Program Plan and Ideas

Here is a sample game plan for a Youth Mission Day. You may use any part of it as you
plan your own youth mission day.

Highlights: a visiting missionary family, group-building games, creating a plan of action

for mission.

1. Opening

 Welcome and Introductions

 Review Goals
1) to get to know each other better
2) build bridges and network for future activities
3) start a process to do something good for humanity-beyond bringing canned
food to a food drive
4) realize that teens can make a difference in the world
5) be reminded that as Christians we are called to do good

2. Worship

Scriptures - read in at least two languages and use youth as readers

 Luke 14:18
 Galations 6:9
 Ephesians 2:19
 Prayer to open-bless gathering

3. Team Building Activities

Goals:
1) creative thinking
2) making do with what you?ve got
3) working as a team; pooling ideas

A. Game One

 Set-up: put long line of masking tape on floor (if you're on a carpet, use string)
 Goal: line up alphabetically by first name, always keeping one foot touching the
tape.
Action:

1) everyone stand with toes on tape-line

2) tell everyone the goal
3) let everyone try to move so they're in alphabetical order
4) every time someone falls off the line, everyone has to return to their original
position and start over
5) after starting over 3 or 4 times, call everyone into a huddle to discuss feelings, then
suggest "strategy"
6) return to line and try again
7) when in alphabetical order, call out loudly first letter of first name down the line
8) give yourselves a hand!

B. Create Groups of 5

This is a fun way to get kids into small groups, rather than counting off. Ask random
questions to create sub-groups. Move them around until you have groups of five. Use
these questions to create sub-groups:

1) those whose address ends in odd number go to one side

2) those whose address ends in even number go to other side
3) Group #1 divide by telephone # that starts with a) even # and b) odd #
4) Group #2 divide by odd/even first number of phone #
5) divide and move to another group - who has a dog? cat? no pet?
6) keep asking questions to divide and move groups until you have established
groups of 5. Questions might be about sports played, languages studied, etc.

C. Game Two

In groups of 5

1) Preparation: mark 2 foot square area on floor with masking tape

2) give each group 10 nylon stockings/socks and a tennis ball
3) place a road-work cone 10 feet from each square of tape
4) place stockings and ball in square of tape
5) goal: use stockings to move ball to top of cone without touching the ball.
6) everyone must be involved and help carry the ball.
 7) in large group, each group shares their method.
8) This can take a lot of time and involves lots of trial and error. Be encouraging. If
one group just can't do it, get help from another group that has.

D. Game Three

In groups of 5

 Goal: Make a self-standing tower as tall as you can using only a ream of typing
paper and a roll of masking tape.

Action:

1) 5 minutes to plan before building

2) stand up in circle-ready, go!
3) 15 minutes to build
4) measure towers
5) gather in large group to share strategy

E. Game Four

In groups of 5

 Supplies for 5 dozen cookies divided into 5 bags

1) 1 bag contains all bowls, spoons, measuring cups

2) 1 bag contains all but one ingredient for one dozen cookies
3) remaining 3 bags contain remaining ingredients divided up, e.g. one group has flour
for 4 dozen cookies, another has sugar.

Goal: Make an edible desert for lunch

Rules:
1) barter items (no loans or gifts)
2) all group members need to be present when a trade is made

Action:
 1) each group goes to a work table and is given one bag 2) open bag and review
items in your bag 3) in silence, send all but one member of your group to "see" what
other groups have 4) strategize as small group how to proceed 5) let them loose for
15 minutes 6) gather as large group - share ideas on how to strategize 7) back to
work for 15 minutes 8) finish and clean up 9) gather in circle, share feelings and
ideas for next time.

 talk about team building, planning

 ask how this relates to the global picture
 some people don't have what they need
 the need to share
 the need to plan and strategize

Lunch

4. World Resources Simulation

Click here for the directions and game plan.

5. Missionary Presentation

If possible have a missionary family come and share. Click here for a list of missionary
visits and contact information to plan a visit.

Look at a world map to celebrate all the places the UCC and Christian Church
(Disciples of Christ) have missionaries living and working. Remind everyone that your
church supports these missionaries financially through Disciples Mission Fund and
Week of Compassion (Disciples) and Our Church's Wider Mission and One Great Hour
of Sharing (UCC).

 Learn a bit about the area where the missionaries live and work. You may even
want to use a trivia game.
 Presentation about missionary work and life. Have missionary show slides and/or
photos.
 Questions and Answers-if there are missionary kids present, have them do this
section.

Remind the youth that they do mission where they live! They are missionaries, too.
Brainstorm-What do we do already for mission? For example, Child Sponsorship,
Heifer Project, Habitat trip, community garden for local hunger center, book collections
for schools.

6. Video - Connecting Threads: Partners in Mission

Share this 7-minute video to get an overview of Global Ministries mission work around
the world. You will see how threads of sharing and service connect and sense deep
needs and ways the church is responding to make a difference in people's lives.

7. Small Group Discussion

 What struck you the most about the video?

 What work did you see with people around the world?
 What problesm do people face in other countries, especially children?
 Which problems do you feel strongly about?
 How can you and your church respond?
 Brainstorm ideas of responses we can make.

8. Plenary

 Reminder: Our goal is not to go home depressed, but to identify a way we can
act to make a difference.
 Share about above questions
Leaders: Remember, at this point, energy is low
 Introduce existing programs that can help us respond to the problems, e.g.
Global Ministries Child Sponsorship program, Africa AIDS programs, work trips
 Break into groups by for practical planning-What will we do?
 Share plans

9. Closing Worship

 Gather in a circle around a worship table.

 Rice message-click here
 Hand out One Great Hour of Sharing/Week of Compassion collection boxes
 Have everyone take a grain of rice from a common bowl and place it in their
offering box. Put box down by their feet.
 Hold hands
 One word-prayer (Each person says one word in prayer, e.g. love, peace, Africa)
 Lord's prayer
 Friendship squeeze (pass it around the circle)
WHAT IS A PILGRIMAGE?
A pilgrimage is a journey a pilgrim makes to a sacred
place for the purpose of venerating it or to ask for
heavenly aid, and ultimately to come to know God better.
Christian pilgrimages were first made to sites connected
with the birth, life, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus
Christ. Shortly after, pilgrimages started being made to
Rome and other sites associated with the Apostles,
Saints and Christian martyrs, as well as places where
there had been apparitions of the Virgin Mary. In the
past, pilgrims would leave their homes, families, and
comforts to walk for hundreds of miles with nothing but
what they could carry on their backs. Just as the pilgrims
from the early centuries, we modern pilgrims also leave
our homes, families and comforts in order to journey to
sacred places.

Sacrifice:
Along the journey, there are many sacrifices involved.
There is suffering, hunger, pain, exhaustion, extreme
weather conditions, crowds, etc… All of these involve
self denial in order to obtain the ultimate goal and reach
the final destination. Contrasting common
misperceptions, suffering is not a punishment that each
receives in direct proportion to his own sins but is a
result of original sin and is part of the universal human
experience, something we all experience in some form.
Jesus Christ embraced his cross of suffering and death
and so, too, should we embrace these sufferings with
joy.
Reflection:
While journeying, a pilgrim may notice that although they
are living entirely in the present, it’s not the present that
matters; what matters is the distant goal. The experience
one has on a pilgrimage can be fantastic and deeply
meaningful, or it can be completely meaningless. It is
entirely up to the pilgrim. Extra graces are given to
pilgrims who open their hearts to God. Pilgrims are also
called to be witnesses for Christ on their journey. As a
Christian and a foreign visitor, pilgrims are ambassadors
for Christ and the nation of their citizenship.
Parallel:
A pilgrimage can also be defined as the course of life
here on earth. The physical pilgrimage we take to a
sacred shrine is a symbol of the spiritual pilgrimage we
are on throughout our lives. Each day we have the
opportunity to encounter Christ through suffering, joys,
interactions with others, and through every aspect of our
human experience. By taking what we have learned from
 our pilgrimage we can put it into practice in our daily
lives and come to a better knowledge of God.

31

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50+ Fun and Inspirational

Church Youth Group
Activities
Updated on June 19, 2018

Claudia Mitchell
more

Claudia helps out the church youth group and has a teenager who has been an active
participant for three years.
More than 50 Great Ideas for Church Youth Groups. | Source

Church youth groups are a time-honored tradition for teens all around the world. They are an
event where teens get together, usually once a week, to talk about almost anything. While almost
all church youth groups are primarily focused on faith-based activities, those activities can vary
widely from location to location.
Sometimes it's difficult to come up with things for the kids to do. They get bored doing the same
thing and, as anyone with teens knows, they can have fickle tastes.
 Below is a comprehensive list of activities that any youth group of any size can do. Hopefully,
the list will be helpful to group leaders, parents, and participants.

What's your favorite youth group activity?

 Lessons
 Games
 Crafts
 Missions
 Other, I'd love to know what it is. Let me know in the comments if you have a chance. Thanks.
See results

Incorporate Faith in as Many Activities as

Possible
Sometimes it's easy to set aside the faith part of a youth group meeting, especially when playing games,

but try to incorporate it whenever you can.

Games
Games are an essential part of any youth group. If games aren't played, participation and
attendance will quickly decline. Make games a part of almost every meeting. The students will
appreciate it and you'll have a lot of fun too.
The M & M's ice breaker game is one of many that will get your youth group talking and getting to know
each other. | Source

Ice Breakers

Participants gather together and the

"Would You Rather" Game 1st person picks a questions and the
other people have to answer.

There are 12 questions and kids go

around the room rolling the dice and
"Roll the Dice...Break the Ice" Game
answering the question next to the
number they roll.

Get a couple bags of M&M's and

participants go around the room and
M & M's Game pick one out. They have to answer a
question based on the color of candy
they choose.
 Go around the room and have people
"This or That" Game take turns asking "this or that"
questions.

Form chairs in 2 circles, with one ring

inside the other and facing each
other. Have kids choose seats and
Concentric Circles give them a topic to discuss for a
certain amount of time. Then have
the kids shift chairs and ask another
question. Play for a while.

Active Games

Make a pit in the church multipurpose

room. Our church stands the foldable
tables on their sides. The kids are in
the pit and when the ball is thrown in
Gaga Ball anyone can hit it. If it hits a player
below the knee, they are out. If the
ball is caught in the air, the player
who threw it is out. Play ends when
there is one player left.

Have 2 sleeping bags ready. Have

kids pull a name out of a hat and that
will be their opponent. Have them get
Sleeping Bag Worm Races into the bag and crawl down the hall
like a worm. Winners go on to race
other winners until there is one
champion.

Set up 9 chairs and divide kids into 2

Human Tic Tac Toe
groups of Xs and Os. Start playing.

Tape crepe streamers crossing a

Don't Break the Streamers! hallway. Tape them low and high and
some on a diagonal. Participants
 have to make their way down the hall
without tearing any down.

A bag of Starburst candy is needed

Ready, Aim, Starburst!
as well as tape or, if playing outside,
sidewalk chalk. Make a target on the
floor with a few rings, almost like a
bow and arrow target. Have kids pair
up and each person gets 10 pieces of
candy. They get 10 chances to hit the
target and get the points that the
candy lands in. The winner gets a
prize or moves on to play other
winners.

There are loads of games to play with youth groups. Here's a list of faith-based ones.| Source

Faith-Based Games
 Design a layout on a chalkboard or
the wall like the Jeopardy tv show.
Bible Jeopardy
The answers should be biblical
references.

The leader has a biblical figure or

episode in mind and the group asks
questions. If they can guess the
Bible 20 Questions answer in 5 questions they get 20
points, between 6 - 10 questions - 15
points, 11- 15 questions - 10 points
and 16 - 20 questions - 5 points.

Group is divided into 2 and there is a

football field drawn on a piece of
paper. The first team is asked a
biblical question and if they answer
Bible Super Bowl
correctly they get 10 yards. Keep
playing just like football rules and
decide when the game is over. Set a
timer for answering questions.

Design a scavenger hunt around

Bible Scavenger Hunt
church using biblical references.

Get a bag of mini marshmallows,

some plastic cups and bandanas for
blindfolding. Have teams of 2 with
one person laying on the floor with a
Blind Faith Toss plastic up on their forehead. The
other teammate is standing with a
blindfold on trying to get
marshmallows in the cup. The players
get 2 minutes and then see who wins.

Leader has trivia questions and

participants get a point when they
Bible Trivia answer correctly. Winner is the one
with the most points at the end of the
game.
2019 as Year of the Youth
December 07, 2018

By
Clifford T. Sorita

People's Tonight

IN preparation for the celebration of the 500th Year of

Christianity in the Philippines, the CBCP has declared
2019 as the Year of the Youth. The occasion was
officially opened last Sunday (Dec. 2), the first Sunday
of Advent, and will close on Nov. 24, 2019, the feast of
Christ the King. The year-long celebration will reflect
on the theme “Filipino Youth in Mission: Beloved,
Gifted, Empowered”. Activities both in the national
and diocesan levels are aimed on at least four
objectives: youth in formation, youth in community,
Church and society, youth in mission, and youth
ministry and youth ministers.
In solidarity to this year-long celebration, allow me to share with you all some excerpts
from the official pastoral letter of the CBCP through His Excellency, Most Rev. Romulo
G. Valles, DD (CBCP President) addressed to the Youth of the Philippines:

We, your shepherds, thank you from our hearts for coming together to chart the course
of our celebration of your year, the Year of the Youth … We delight in your recognition
of your being vital members of the Body of Christ, the Church. As a response to your
letter, the Philippine Catholic Church embraces you and your being life-given and life-
giving, and with you, we affirm that:

YOU ARE BELOVED: Just like John the beloved disciple, who in his youth was called
by the Lord to follow Him, the Church loves you with special affection, and we share
with you the same call from the Lord. You are loved by the Father [cf. Dt 1:31; Is 40:11;
41:10; 46:4] as Jesus declared to His disciples, “As the Father loves me, so I also love
you” [Jn 15:9], and He then invites you to remain in His love by following His
commandments [cf. Jn 14:15]. Only then will you experience the joy that is complete
[cf. Jn 15:9-11]. The Church in the Philippines seeks to show you the same love [cf.
PCP II, 385; KA-LAKBAY, pp. 35-41], especially through her youth ministry, whose
aspiration is to raise you up and carry you lovingly through life, with all its trials and
tribulations.

YOU ARE GIFTED: The Sacrament of Baptism you received initiated you into the life of
God and with God. Through the Sacrament of Confirmation, you were gifted with the
Holy Spirit who inflames you with faith, passion, and courage. Like the young lay
missionary catechist St. Pedro Calungsod and Richie Fernando, the young Jesuit who
died shielding his students from a grenade explosion, your fresh and energetic
youthfulness is also a gift, enabling you to commit yourselves in service of others, as
well as renewing the Church and the world. To the countless youth volunteers and
missionaries who share their gifts in the building up of God’s Reign—upholding and
defending life and human dignity, the environment, justice, freedom and peace, among
others—your families, the Church and our society recognize you, and need more of
your willingness and dedication. You clearly remind us that a life embraced and shared
wholeheartedly contributes to the ongoing work of creation and glorifies God.

YOU ARE EMPOWERED: In the face of so many problems and difficulties today
affecting our Christian life, families, social relationships and communities, as well as
various personal and socio-cultural concerns you raised in your letter (mental health,
substance abuse, HIV-AIDS, access to education, environmental problems, human
trafficking, politics, dialogue with cultures, digital community, etc.), you are able to
exhibit the humility to seek the support that will lead you to discover your strengths and
capabilities to live meaningful lives. Like Mary, you are humble enough to proclaim
“How can this be…?” [Lk 1:34] and still give your assent in faith. This pleases not only
the Lord but also your elders, because you are making us an important part of your
development into mature individuals, fully aware of being persons called by God,
capable of discerning decisions that positively impact your lives and those of others. We
all long for a better world and society, for a renewed Church, and we see you as
protagonists of this change, as the dynamic force of the Church now, when you reach
out to the peripheries to bring Jesus and His message of salvation to the lost, the least
and the last, including other young people like you who yearn to be loved, gifted and
empowered.

YOU ARE IN MISSION. We look at you, our young people, so full of dynamism, as
disciples sent on a mission to make disciples for Jesus. We pray that your discernment,
choices and actions will lead you to a purposeful life—whether in the ordained ministry,
consecrated life, marriage and family, or the single state—with the Spirit of the Risen
Christ directing your steps in making and leaving a marked difference in the world and
society [cf. Mt 28:19-20].

As we look forward to 2021, we envision that the celebration of the 500th anniversary of
the arrival of Christianity in the Philippines will be a time to celebrate a bountiful harvest
from your ranks—youth committed to families, to the Church and to the country with a
renewed passion to proclaim the Word, ready to work with their communities and the
Church, and willing to share in molding a just and peaceful world through missionary
involvement. As the Holy Father Pope Francis challenged you, we also say: “So make a
mess! But also help in cleaning it up… a mess that brings a free heart, a mess that
brings solidarity, a mess that brings us hope, a mess that comes from knowing Jesus
and knowing that God, once I know Him, is my strength” (from the WYD2013). Awaken
the shepherds in us, your elders, and rekindle the fire of faith, hope and love in
everyone in the Church so that together, we can journey and minister with you, as you
serve the Church and your fellow youth.