Yesterday Patrick, New Life’s Student Ministry Director, kicked off the first January youth group by doing a candle lighted group time. At this time, he lit a big candle (symbolizing Christ) and placed it in the middle of the room. After that he handed each student an individual candle and they would sit around in a circle. Patrick then picked someone to start. When it was their turn in the circle, they would get up and share where they are with Christ. Are they close to Him or further away?
Now, when he first told me he was going to do this, I was a little skeptical on how effective it would be. I just didn’t know how many people were going to share and how honest they were going to be. HOWEVER, to my surprise, this was probably one of the most effective and touching activities I have seen in youth ministry in a while. Not only did most people share (I think all but 2 of the 45 shared), but they were incredibly honest. It was amazing to hear where the students were at with God and why.
I liked this activity so much for 2 reasons. First, it built community amongst the students. They were real, vulnerable and honest with each other. When that happens, students feel like they are connected in a way that just hanging out or watching a movie just doesn’t do. Secondly, it gave Leaders a perfect opportunity to invest in and follow up with students. For those who shared that they are close to Christ, leaders can now challenge them even more. For those who said they are far away, it gives leaders a great opportunity for them to encourage them.
DEBRIEF: With the beginning of each semester, you have an opportunity to set the tone for what you are going to be doing for the year ahead. Especially in January when resolutions are flying out all over the place, it is a great chance for you to start all over and get your group focused on where you want to take them. So, did you do that for your first January meeting? If not, it is not too late to set the tone for the rest of the semester. If you did set the tone, what do you need to do this week to continue in that new direction? TAKE A MINUTE and process what you did and how you can effectively set the tone in your program so you can take students deeper in Christ.
If you did something exciting or group changing to kick off your January, post a comment so that we can all benefit and try it out on our group eventually.]]>