On February 20th, the second coldest night of the year, the Conestoga Church of the Brethren youth group in Leola, PA experienced a taste of what its like to be homeless. Around 7:00 p.m. the youth gathered in the church parking lot to assemble their refrigerator box city which they would stay and sleep in until 6:00 a.m. on Sunday the 21st. During the evening members of the congregation and local community brought blankets, coats, hats, gloves, scarves, canned food, and money to the church. These items are then donated to local organizations which work with homeless persons. The youth relied on the congregation to provide these items which kept them reasonably warm. During the evening the youth heard speakers talk about the problem of homelessness, and talked about the issue with each other. On Sunday morning the youth led the congregation in a very reflective worship service which focused on the theme "A Habitat for Humanity." Local newspapers did stories on the event. The youth collected about 100 blankets, 50 coats, and a number of hats, gloves and scarves which were donated to Lancaster County Council of Churches; 70 canned food items which were donated to the Leola Food Bank; and $350 which was donated to the Lancaster area Habitat for Humanity.

The college years often take former youth away from the church, and some of them lose touch completely or pull away during this time. Youth can help this group to feel they're still part of the church by preparing college care packages and sending them out.

It doesn't have to be anything complicated, just some snacks, perhaps some school supplies, a. recent bulletin or two, a note signed by all the youth group members, gum, McDonald's gift certificates, some homemade cookies, or anything else you think they might enjoy.

Then gather a list or all your church's college students from the church office or by putting a note in the bulletin/newsletter, prepare the package in a small box or large manila envelope and send it out. Our group usually sends out one batch in the fall and another in spring, and the feedback has been great.

It allows all those far-flung members of the church to know they're still thought and cared about, and gets the youth involved in service, maybe even connecting with some role models they look up to.

The youth of the Meadow Branch Church of the Brethren in Mid Atlantic District had a unique idea for a fundraiser. They sponsored a Hug-a-thon. The youth solicited pledges for each hug that they could give on September 27. Then on that day their task was to simply hug everyone in sight and keep track of the number of hugs given to different persons. This not only is a no cost fundraiser, it also contributes to a good feeling among the congregation.

This holiday in particular causes the church much concern over its ties to the world of the occult and Satanism. We in the church have had little success in providing positive alternatives to this worrisome holiday, however, so most of "our" youth still participate in one form or another.

I have a suggestion on how to involve your junior high youth in a positive way. For the past two years the junior high youth at Harrisonburg First Church have gone trick-or-treating for the needy. What is trick-or-treating for the needy? It is doing door-to-door collecting of canned food for the needy on Halloween night.

Here is how we do it:

1. A week before Halloween contact your local police department and make them aware of your plans, your targeted neighborhood, and make sure there are no city ordinances that would prevent your collection effort.
2. Photocopy on small sheets of paper information about your group and church and what your collection effort is all about. Roll these sheets up and have your kids hand deliver these to all the homes you will be collecting from. They don't need to knock and explain the process to each house, just secure the note to the door of each house (not mailbox).
3. On Halloween night have the kids meet in costume or out of costume. Put them in pairs and send them down the designated streets. It is helpful to put an adult with car on each street to collect the bags of food when they get heavy. This also helps keep a watchful eye on each group of two youth.
4. After our collection we always count and box up the food, then go out for pizza. We deliver the food to the distribution agency the next day and promote our hard work in the church newsletter.

This is a great way to involve youth in a positive way in a holiday that does not have to be all bad.

Play/Skit

Fear Factor: Love Feast Edition (PDF)
by Frank Ramirez

I'm a parent of teenagers - HELP! I'm about to be a parent of a teenager - HELP! The persistent call is there. How do we respond? We tried organizing a parent cabinet who responded positively to the idea of a parent retreat. The key elements, they decided, would be thoughtful ideas from a knowledgeable resource person, worship, snacks, fun time, and a time to share our good ideas in parenting--ideas that have worked for us--on such topics as household chores, money, curfew, church attendance, etc.--the list coming from those in attendance. One year we focused on communication skills, one year we worked on seeing ourselves and our teenagers as being spiritually gifted, but each year we have the sharing of our good ideas in parenting and a time of prayer for the youth in our homes. It is an important time to lift each parent up as being uniquely gifted to nurture the child God sent to them. To save expenses and to allow us to sleep in our own beds, we meet at the church from 6:30-10:30 on Friday, start with breakfast together at 8:00 a.m. Saturday and finish before lunch. We love our retreat time and wish it could happen more than once a year!

On Valentine's Day or another time, plan a Love Your Parents Banquet. The junior highs send invitations to their parents. They prepare the meal and plan the program which might include a time for each Junior high to meet with his/her parents and each one in the family group shares something they appreciate about the other.

Another activity might be to have the junior highs write love letters to their parents which the parents read at the dinner. You could also include some games, in the invitation stipulate "please no siblings"; this should be a "date" for just the junior high and his/her parents, an opportunity for quality time. And be sure to include some group building activities so that all the junior highs and parents can get to know one another.

This could be a great plan for either an invite a friend event or an intergenerational event. Each group is given a list of people such as: a varsity football player, a tuba player (with tuba), someone with red hair, someone over six feet tall, someone who speaks Spanish, someone who owns a guinea pig, someone with more than ten letters in his last name, someone who builds models, etc. The group attempts to find people who fit the descriptions and then encourage that person to join them for an activity scheduled later in the day. They get points for each person who comes. You can develop your list around the age group with whom you want your group to interact.

Give each group a small tape recorder and a list of sounds: i.e. a baby crying, a family of five singing Jingle Bells, a cow mooing, a toilet flushing, etc. Give than a specified period of time before they must return. Assign a point system based on the difficulty. The winner is the group with the most points.

This game is a version of the "Newlywed" game but for youth and parents. The game is played basically in the same format as the original "Newlywed" game. Each youth is paired with one of their parents or some other adult who lives with the youth - grandparent, aunt, uncle legal guardian, etc. The youth-parent pairs are seated in chairs next to each other in front of an audience (if there is one). The youth and parents are told they will each be asked a series of questions about the other, and the pair that answers the most questions correctly wins. Then either the youth or parent group is asked to leave the room (I have found sending parents out first works better). The youth are asked a series of ten point questions and one twenty-five point bonus question about their parents. The youth write down their answers on cards which are held face down in their laps when the parents return to answer the questions. If the parent's answer matches that of the youth, they get credited with points, and then the process is repeated with the youth out of the room and parents asked a series of questions about them. This game is a fun test of how well parents and youth really know one another and can stimulate very healthy conversations between youth and parents about subjects that are not usually discussed between them. It can also help parents remember some of what it is like to be a teenager.

Sample Questions To Youth:

How will your parent answer these questions:

1. When I was in junior high school, my study habits were good, average, terrible?
2. The first real job I ever had was?
3. The age at which I received or gave my first real kiss was?
4. Were you ever sent to the principal's office - yes or no? (Then ask the parent to explain what for if they answered yes.)
5. Did you ever have a crush on one of your teachers - yes or no?

Sample Questions To Parents:

How will your junior high youth answer these questions:

1. If I have to stash clothing or stuff in my room in a hurry to make it look better I put it in my closet, under my bed, or somewhere else.
2. If I could pick where my family went on vacation I would choose: beach, mountains, big city, somewhere else.
3. My favorite music group is?
4. My favorite t.v. show is?
5. Would you take a fifteen minute bath in a tub full of leaches for $5,000 - yes or no?

This version of volleyball tests your kids reaction time. Normal rules of volleyball are in effect. Set up your volleyball court as normal, but place several sheets over the net so that each side cannot see the other. Play volleyball and watch the fun as kids scramble to get to a ball they did not know was coming. (HINT: You may want to have a leader on each side to watch the lines and the number of hits per side.)

Many churches today find themselves struggling to and failing at incorporating their junior high age youth into the whole life of their congregation.

One possible solution is a relationship building program called Adopt An Adolescent Program. This program offers an ongoing format for youth and adults in your church to build healthy relationships. Here is how it works:

1. After making a list of interested and willing youth and adult participants, match up pairs of one youth and one adult. These matches can be made on the basis of similar interests, different interests, similar family structure, different family structure, youth choice, adult choice, etc. Other variations include matching an individual youth, with a family, pairs of youth with a family, or pairs of youth with an individual adult. The commitment that youth and adults are making toward each other should be (if at all possible) a commitment through adolescence (meaning 6th - 12th grade). If a pair must be separated due to unavoidable circumstances, then a meaningful ending or parting should be worked at and continuance in the program should be completely optional.
2. Work at offering three to four large group events for all matched pairs. These could be holiday related activities like gag-gift exchanges at Christmas seasonal activities like swimming, skiing, picnics, softball, hikes, etc.
3. This step is the core element of the program. Matched pairs should, on their own, work at getting together and getting to know each other. This can be done in an unending list of ways, including: go out for meals together, eat in each others homes, see movies, go to sporting events, play games (whether physical or sedentary), send cards to each other, remember each other's birthdays, attend school events together, etc. The important element with step three is not frequency or how much you do together, but that you do things together on a regular basis. It is better to be together once per month (besides church), than three times every third month.
4. Have fun. Let the relationship happen naturally. Stay relaxed and let the new relationship become a bridge builder between junior highers and your congregation.

Learning activities are very important for youth. With college on the horizen, we put together a series of career days to give our youth some ideas about different jobs that are available. We began with our own church members and were able to visit a doctor's office, the police station, a retail store, and a local tortilla factory to name a few. Going to eat afterward provided time together to discuss each career.

Anne E. Palmer
Live Oak CoB

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130 Ways to Involve Parents in Youth Ministry
Review by: Brian Messler

Written by: GROUP

Contents: Different information forms for parents. How to bring parents and youth together, jobs for parents and support groups.

Comments: I have had a good time looking through this book. I think the most beneficial use of it is the forms that are in the back. Information forms on what the parents would be willing to do and things that they would not be willing to do. They also have a great amount of pages dedicated to different activities that youth and parents can do together. If you are looking for support from the parents of the youth in your church's ministry, I really encourage you to read this book and follow through with some of the different ideas and thoughts expressed in it.

Discover Your God-Given Gifts
Review by: Brian Messler

Written by: Dan and Katie Fortune
Publisher: Chosen Books

Contents: Questionnaire on your spiritual gifts, discussion on each of the 7 gifts, discussion and biblical teaching of each gift.

Comments: This book is primarily used for youth leaders that are working in a team, or youth advisors that lead the youth programs. It goes through a series of questions concerning your spiritual gifts that were given to you by God. This book will be helpful in your ministry by sharing with each other the gifts that you all have been given, and then having the knowledge to use them in ways that help the ministry.

Prayers Before an Awesome God
Review by: Brian Messler

Written by: Davis Haas
Publisher: St. Mary's

Contents: Psalms for youth and adults, prayer and needs index

Comments: These are the Psalms written in a way that youth really do relate to. David does a great job in putting the traditional Psalms into a contemporary voice. This has been used in worship, small group meetings, devotion times with youth and adults alike. It is a wonderful resource.

Creative Worship Ideas: 70 Meaningful Ways to Involve Teenagers in Worship
Review by: Brian Messler

Edited by: Lois Keffer
Publisher: Group

Contents: Creative Worship Ingredients (prayers, music, scripture readings). Creative Skits, Complete Services

Comments: This is a great book if you use worship at your meetings. The different ways to pray with your youth are fantastic. The skits are short, to the point, and some might be a little corny but the messages are strong and can be changed to fit your youth style. The most interesting part is the complete service ideas that are in the back of the book. They provide different services from a service of silence to an Easter service. It can be used for both senior high and junior high youth.

What I Wish my Youth Leader Knew About Youth Ministry
Review by: Brian Messler

Written by: Mike Nappa
Publisher: Standard

Contents: Youth Talks. Group Singing, Games., Sunday School, Midweek Meetings, Small Groups, Retreats, Service Projects, Special Events, Volunteer Leaders

Comments: I have gained so much knowledge from this book: It was written and compiled in 1999 so it has up to date surveys and information. Mike does a good job in sharing what teens want and then offering information and guidance to what we can do as youth leaders to reach out to them.

Like Dew Your Youth: Growing Up With Your Teenager
Review by: Lorele Yager

Like Dew Your Youth: Growing Up With Your Teenager deserves four stars for its enjoyable and easy to read style, refreshing perspectives, and practical and biblically based teaching. Eugene Peterson claims that teenagers are wonderful gifts of God who offer marvelous opportunities for adults and youth to grow closer to each other while growing closer to God. This encouraging book offers positive ways of responding to issues and attitudes that often frustrate youth as well as parents: "You never trust me! You can't make me! Can I have the car tonight?"

Peterson emphasizes that younger and older generations have much to offer each other, that differences spark growth and thus, are part of God's creative design.

The Godbearing Life: Art of Soul Tending for Youth Ministry
Review by: Walt Wiltschek

A long time model of doing youth ministry is challenged in this book by Kenda Creasy Dean and Ron Foster.

Programs, they say, cannot beat the center of what churches do with the youth in their midst. Indeed, they assert that the very emphasis of youth ministry must be on "being" rather than on "doing." Rather than viewing the youth group as just a satellite of the church, they urge congregations to make youth an integral part of everything the church does.

"Youth groups and mountaintop experiences most often serve as entry points that lead to other kinds of holy ground-relationships with significant adults for instance-and do their best work in faith environments populated by many burning bushes of varied shapes aid sizes," they write.

These "burning bushes," they say, are other adults in the congregation. Building these intergenerational relationships between youth and adults, through mentoring and other connections, becomes an integral part of walking with youth on their faith journeys.

That, in turn, requires that adults fuel their own journeys with Jesus Christ. "How do we invite youth more deeply into the practices of faith?" they write. "The answer is deceptively simple: We become more deeply involved in the practices of faith." Like Mary, adults in the congregation become God-bearers for youth. The best reading in the book comes in the first half, before the overdose of examples and metaphors bog down the keen and insightful theology and philosophy. Throughout, however, "aha" moments spring up from the pages, causing the reader to stop and look at something in a different perspective.

This is not simply a book about how to do Christian youth ministry better. It is a book seeking to put Christ back at the center of ministry with youth.

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Review written by Walt Wiltschek, manager of News Services for the Church of the Brethren General Board, and Adult Advisor for the Illinois/Wisconsin District Youth Cabinet.

Review written by Brian Messler, Youth Pastor of the Happy Corner Church of the Brethren and part-time District Youth Ministry Coordinator in Southern Ohio District.

Review written by Lorele Yager, member of the Beacon Heights Church of the Brethren in Northern Indiana and member of the Junior High Task Force.

This video offers a fresh way for youth to look at forgiveness: through story and song and candid comments from their own peers

• Enter the story of Jacob & Esau through drama. Portrayed by actors Ted & Lee, these biblical brothers find forgiveness after 20 years of anger and separation.
  
  
• Listen to singer, songwriter, pianist Ken Medema's powerful song on forgiveness, "Healing of the heart."
  
  
• Empathize with from-the-heart comments as yout talk about their experiences with hurt, anger and forgiveness.

Turn youth on to forgiveness and watch their lives and interactions change.

To order, visit http://www.thirdway.com/resources/

To reserve contact Mariana Barriga at the Youth/Young Adult office at:
800-323-8039 ext. 289 or mbarriga_gb@brethren.org