Are you Looking for Ideas?
Below is a book of ideas as well as free Christian Youth Activities
Would you share an activity, whether a Christian youth lesson (to teach) or a Christian youth game or icebreaker (for fun), that can be included on this site in the future? If you wish to receive recognition for your idea, please leave your name, state or country your reside in and, if you wish, your e-mail address.
New ideas mean fewer same old, done-it-before youth meetings! New activities that teach help us assure our youth "run the race" with their eyes fixed on the principles of the Christian faith.
This website will share free games for Christian youth groups as well as lessons that teach to assist in your youth progams. Please share a Christian youth game or activity you have found to be successful by e-mailing us at Timferguson@christianyouthgroup.org. Thank you for your interest.
Please feel free to visit our guest book and leave feedback.
So how did January 1st become New Years Day for most of the world? It was established by Roman emperor Julius Caesar in 46 BC as the Romans believed their God, Janus, could see backwards and forwards in time. The believers offered sacrifices and pledged good contact over the coming year to Janus. In a sense their pledge was an early form of making a New Year's Resolution. Activity One: Bible Support for Making a Resolution Activity Two: The Last Word of Jesus To view the full activity, click: New Years Resolutions for Christian Youth activity |
| We are all reading the debate over gun control spurred on by the horrific murder of seventeen innocent people in Florida. We are issuing an ongoing report on this matter. Included in this analysis is a synopsis of the Australian model of gun control including first hand impressions received. Several other segments of the report to come at the request of our readers including a social worker's analysis. Please click: Gun Control: The Whole Story |
Activities That Teach Part One
The Fruits of the Spirit: Note that some of the more difficult fruits,in the eyes of youth, are probably patience and self control. Determine which fruits are most common and why.The Rich Young Ruler: Activity that asks the question how to react to the command of Jesus to give everything that you own to the poor, then follow we are ready to follow Him.
Human machine:Remind your machines that each body part can only provide its function.
Three Pens Game: How looking at the whole picture makes the difference.
To you ... I am a Story: Christian youth activity celebrating the resurrection
Time Machine:: visit your past!
Activities for Fun
The Great Race Here is an event we have used many times, purely for fun. As I think about it there is a message from the Apostle Paul that could follow. But first the event.
Here is the big difference. Youth had a choice. They could take the tag out of the envelop,or ... answer a sports question (worth two squares) or ... answer a Bible Trivia question (worth three squares). The event was great fun and quite close at the end, taking about forty minutes to complete. We also learned what stories of the Bible the youth were familiar with and which they were not.
Human Knot: from a youth leader in Missouri ... youth form a knot and escape ... easier said than done, we suspect.
Ha Ha: Lot's of fun - an icebreaker we used with Spanish speaking young people in El Salvador, as well as with our own youth group. It has always been a great success.
Jose Carlos, Christian Artist of Mexico City shares with us: An award winning Christian cartoon.
Cross the Line: An icebreaker that gets young people sharing their experiences.
Bombs Away: A game that tests our ability to trust.
Meet Hallary, Knute, John and Joe: and find out how youth can "Make a Difference"
Lets Ask God
This is an activity which provides a means to interact with your youth group. The activity begins with youth picking questions that they would ask God if He were present. This is not as simple as it seems. At first youth tend to be "tongue tied". Once one or two questions are raised, a flood of questions usually follows. The event calls for a few, not many questions, and sometimes a vote can be taken to narrow down the questions to no more than ten. Much can be learned by simply discussing relevant questions youth have. Upon picking the questions, three adults are chosen to play the role of God. The questions are given to the adults beforehand to allow time for preparation. We always have three individuals playing the role of God. You do not want to have too many "Gods" as progressing through the list of questions will be challenging. A youth is then chosen to play the role of emcee. The questions, to be answered, are placed into an envelope and randomly drawn by youth in the group. Once read, the emcee asks one of the "Gods" to answer the question to be followed by the other two "God people". Each person answers the question in the first person as if he or she is God. This is important. Adult volunteers are not to say, "I think God would say ..." but rather, "I, God, would say ...". They will not answer, "The Bible, God's word reads ..." but will say, "My word reads ...". Answering the questions in this manner gives a sense of authenticity to the answers. After all three Gods answer the questions, the emcee opens the discussion to the youth present. One way to encourage discussion is for the emcee to ask if any youth would like to ask a follow-up question. Some questions will lead to more discussion than others and the emcee decides when it is time to move on to a new question. This event is an effective event to use when meeting with multiple youth programs. Having adults from each program playing the role of God may lead to a more diversified discussion. More details about this event can be found on pages 49-51 of the book, "Not the Same Old, Done -it-before Youth Meetings". See reviews of Not the Same Old, Done-it-before Youth Meetings ... click: Not the Same Old, Done-it-before Youth Meeting (the book) |
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Laura Cooley of St. Paul's Church, Patchogue, NY writes... "Your book is a God-send!! You have laid out in an organized and easy-to-read fashion so many wonderful ideas and activity plans that we will never again feel uncomfortable when getting ready for our next Youth Group meeting. I am new to the role of Christian Youth Group leader and your book gives me confidence that we can indeed succeed with God's help". Jo writes, regarding Not the Same Old, Done-it-before Youth Meetings, "I think this book is really good and helpful. I first read the online version of the book because i did not want to pay for it. But after reading a couple of program ideas and having a very very successful youth program I totally HAD to get this book. It is well worth the money."
See more reviews of Not the Same Old, Done-it-before Youth Meetings. click:Not the Same Old, Done-it-before Youth Meeting (the book) More Activity Ideas Below and The Chest of Visions also includes activities for Christian Youth |
A "God-send" for Youth Workers!|
An Inoculation of Hope ... for everyone.
But more than a story of hope, The Chest of visions provides activities for youth group meetings listed at the end.
Pastor Jada Hodgson writes ...
"Sometimes it seems different generations are from different worlds. If Tim and Mattpaul can speak with one another, perhaps we can speak and learn generation to generation... I am grateful for this book. It is a good story, well told and delightfully illustrated." Pastor Dianne Dunne writes ... "The Chest Of Visions is an excellent tool to reach our youth today."
No question ... Jesus Christ is our hope but a little inspiration from a messenger of hope can go a long way. A young man Alex, who has written on our blogs, stated at one time "I need an inoculation of hope. He then talks of how members of his youth group are praying for him. Where does he ultimately find his "inoculation of hope"? From reading the story of Mattpaul in "The Chest of Visions". Mattpaul - a young man, whose faith changes his world. Don't miss this opportunity to find an inoculation of hope for yourself. 
The young man Mattpaul inspired hope in his world. His story will do the same for
us.The story is now expanded from Chest of Visions: Secrets of Caperston through Chest of Visions: New Pathways 'Cross Broken Highways.
Start with the published book , Click: The Chest of Visions TheChest of Visions: New Pathways 'Cross Broken Highways is soon to be published. |
Activities That Teach Part Two
Banana Lesson:After attempting this impossible task, we stop to discuss how hard it is to redo errors that we make. More from South Africa: "The most memorable event we have each year is a beauty contest we call Miss Inner Beauty". Trust and Prayer: Activity that encourages spoken prayer amidst youth and has been successful on several occasions with different youth programs.
International Bible Treasure Hunt: Think of a cross between a Bible Trivia Contest and an episode of Indiana Jones searching for some missing archaeological treasure from the past.
Two Truths and a Lie: Instruct each player to think of three statements about themselves. Two must be true statements, and one must be false.
Movie Review: Pray: As a Christian "thriller" type film, this movie would serve as a great film for junior high/high school youth groups.
The Lifeboat Game: Youth pick who will survive a lifeboat sinking. A time to reflect on making decisions and the value given to life.
Sexual Purity Movie?: from a youth leader, who writes, " I am looking for a video which effectively presents the value of sexual purity"
Three Pens Game: How looking at the whole picture makes the difference.
Still More Activities Below ... read the testimonials and stories
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The Chest of Visions |
Review dated February 2017 from Onlinebookclub
What would happen if Jesus arrived today instead of 2,000 years ago? Would you risk your reputation and give up what you had to follow Him? These are the questions The Chest of Visions by Tim Ferguson seeks to answer. Not only does the book tackle these difficult questions, it does so in a unique format - the book is written via a pen pal-like dialogue between a few youths.
Mattpaul is nearly done with school and already his future is set. His father is an assistant to the Ruler of Caperston and has a great, prestigious job for him once he graduates. However, one day he learns a man named Chihaysu is coming to speak nearby about someone named God. Intrigued, he and his friend Huchfee ditch class to go listen. In the meantime, Mattpaulcomes across a news report written by Tim on his compol (a device much like our computers) and writes to him, asking him about what the Bible, Christian youth and Jesus are. Tim is shocked when he discovers that Mattpaul's Caperston is in an alternate universe, one in which there never was a Jesus or Bible or even prophets. The two manage to communicate via a website Tim sets up, and Mattpaul tells his story via dated entries.
Chuhaysu's teachings often mirror those of Jesus, and it's interesting to see some of my favorite Biblical stories take on a new slant. One, for example, is about a man whose boat sinks. Forced to use a broken off piece to float, he can't do anything but wait to be saved. Two men pass by in powerboats, each giving excuses as to why they can't help him, before a third comes by in a paddle boat. He explains that he'll have to dump the fish he spent all day catching for his family, but that the fish are nowhere near as valuable as him.
This is a great retelling of the Good Samaritan, and it leads to great discussion - what types of setbacks would you suffer if it meant helping someone? Returning home without dinner? Being late to work?
For the majority of the book Mattpaul writes and Tim replies. However, eventually a boy named Alex starts replying as well. Alex wishes he could be in Caperston and could speak to Chihaysu himself, and eventually has Mattpaul relay a question for him. Alex was part of a youth group and Kevin, another member, was killed while purchasing plates to help feed the homeless. He asks why God would allow such a faithful follower of Jesus die.
Click: Reviews Chest of Visions
Faith by Dennis: from a youth leader in New York ... it tells you that even a little bit of faith is stronger than the strongest mountain
Two activities from South Africa: The objective of this game is to build co-operation and confidence in the young people, while at the same time they discover their gifts and callings.
"It's interesting to see some of my favorite Biblical stories take on a new slant."
This brings up one of the biggest questions people have when it comes to religion - if God is so powerful, why does he allow bad things to happen? I REALLY enjoyed how this answer was settled, and it's great that Tim is able to fill the book with such great situations, questions and lessons.
"if God is so powerful, why does he allow bad things to happen? I REALLY enjoyed how this answer was settled."
As I read the story alone I often wondered if I would be brave enough to follow Chihaysu. There were also a few surprise twists that made me happy with the direction the book went. I'd absolutely recommend the book to any Christian, but especially to kids or those who lead youth groups.
President's Day Lesson for Christian Youth:: we look at the qualities God would look for in a leader.
Finding Truth: Four road signs depict a traveler's journey and the self doubts he/she have to overcome.
Christian Teen Movie Review: The Other Side of Heaven: "For three years I've lived with people who possess nothing yet they possess everything." These were the words of John Groberg ...
Activity from Malaysia: "I STRONGLY suggest you try to get this movies and watch it as they were really beautiful and faith-lifting and encouraging."
Food Scavenger Hunt: This card will explain who we are and what our mission is... We will thankfully accept all donations.
Christian Teens Candles of Prayer: One more verse of candles, then a repeat of the original first verse and the usually serene Presbyterians were clapping their hands and swaying back and forth.
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Jesus calls Christian teens and their Christian youth workers to "Go into the world to preach the gospel" and gives the promise,"I am always with you to the end of the age". Please share with us where you live so that the global community of Christian teens and their youth leaders can become more evident. Are you active in a Christian youth club (group)? Do you have Christian youth activities, Christian youth entertainment ideas or Christian youth work charities to share. Group games for youth ministry programs and Bible lessons for teenagers will be featered on our activities page, if you will share them. Help make our Christian youth website truly international!Just click on the Guestmap Icon and let us know who you are.
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"With God, anything is possible"
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Tim Ferguson, 30 Fairlawn Drive, Deer Park, New York, USA,11729
Come visit our second website at: Lessons for Christian youth
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