It's been a long year. You've led your group with passion, but now what was once a burning flame of excitement is barely a smoldering ember. If your group is anything like mine it is made up of all kinds of people, who carry all kinds of burdens. Someone in your group may be living through a financial nightmare. Someone in your group could be failing at their job. Someone in your group is possibly struggling with a rebellious teenager, straining against the bondage of alcoholism, looking for love in all the wrong places.
It's been a long year as you have led these people, prayed for these people, listened to these people. And, now you're needing to change the pace and approach of your group just a little for the summer. Small groups are always about relationships, our relationship to God and our relationship with one another. When summer hits the objective is the same; we simply need to take a "fun in the sun" tactic to our ministry. So, what builds strong, meaningful relationships? When I think of the people with whom I have developed intimate, trusting, cohesive relationships there are certain common denominators. A close intimate group:
1. Laughs together. Laughter is the healer of many hurts and is the glue that holds a group together through the tough issues of life. So plan activities that are fun!
2. Goes on adventures together. Think back to a family camping trip where the mosquitoes were bigger than humming birds, it rained the whole 3 days and the car broke down going home. Those are the times we cherish and hold dear for years to come. So plan an adventure together!
3. Works together. Conspire to change your community through kindness. Serve your church or community and witness intimacy increase among your group members. Your group will never be the same. So plan a community work project!
4. Worships and prays together. When all eyes are fixed on Jesus hearts will be united in friendship. Prayer and worship can be easily woven into the other summer fun activities that you plan. However, take time to plan special times of praise and prayer!
Here are some fun ideas that fit into these categories.
Laughs Together
- Relay night. Divide your group into teams and play several types of relay games. Don't be afraid to have fun. The sillier the better.
- Volleyball frenzy. Set up a volleyball net in someone's yard or at a park. Play different versions of volleyball; 6 man team, 2 man team. Play with water balloons. Have one bath towel for two people. Play the game normally but with people in pairs; tossing and returning the water balloons with their towels. It takes a lot of teamwork and is great fun. You can also play by giving each team a blanket. They must receive and return the balloon by coordinating their movements with the blanket. Make a night of it…bring lots of food and drinks.
- Video treasure hunt. Adults will have a ball participating in this fun summer, reminiscent of their youth, activity. Things you need: video camera for each car (with recently charged batteries), blank videotape, the instructions below and an adventuresome spirit. After the groups get back pop some popcorn and show the team videos for the whole group. Video Treasure Hunt Instructions: Below is a list of scenes your teams may choose from to videotape. All team members, except the one person taping, must be participating and videotaped to qualify. The team to get the most points in 30 minutes wins. Have fun and hurry back!
- Going down a slide at a nearby park 250 points
- Sharing one ice cream at Perkins 500 points
- Posed on a fire truck 300 points
- On the diving board at a pool 700 points
- Chinese fire drill at a down town intersection 800 points
- Run through sprinklers at a neighbor's house 350 points
- Mooing to a cow 600 points
- On a skating rink reciting 3 times: "Day by day, in every way, I'm getting better and better." 600 points
- In the trunk of an economy sized car 300 points
- Act out the duties of a gas station attendant at a gas station. 400 points
- Your team, with a pastor, in his bathroom tub singing: "This is the day." 500 points
Goes on adventures together.
- Plan a day at the lake, on a ranch, or a mountain cabin. Play games together, go on a hike, and make meals together.
- Take a trip to attend a concert in a city nearby. Plan meals out or at a park.
- Arrange an overnight bike trip. Make menus, chart a course, and train together. Make sure to include drivers (those who don't want to bike) to provide support and camp set up.
Works together.
- Organize a work day to mow an elderly couple's lawn, help paint a weather worn fence, or clean store front windows for downtown businesses.
- On a really hot Saturday pick a busy place in your town (an intersection, park, grocery store) and offer free cans of pop. You might want to attach a message that reads something like, "God gives good gifts." Or, "We just want to give you this pop as a reminder that good things come from God."
- Throw a barbecue party in a lower income neighborhood. Walk the neighborhood to pass out invitations. Provide the food, drinks and fun.
Worships and prays together.
- Invite a group of musicians from your church or another local church to do a mini-concert or praise service in the city park. Put an add in the paper or send out invitations to your friends and neighbors. Have drinks available and/or ice cream. (If someone has a big yard you could also do it there and invite the neighborhood or other small groups.)
- Prayer walk your city. Bring your group together to worship and to pray as a group. Then send them out to pray in groups of 3. Choose several prominent places in your city (schools, courthouse, church, police station, conference centers). Assign different groups to each of those specific areas. Instruct them to pray as they walk about or sit in the vicinity of their designated areas. Pray that God would protect the key players in that place, that He would raise up godly men and women to work there, and that His will would reign supreme in that place. Have the group meet back together to report what happened as they were out praying.
- Have a day prayer retreat on a mountain, near a river or lake. Sing praise music together, offer words of praise as a large group and then send your group out to spend some time alone to pray. At a specific time in the day have your group pray in pairs. Encourage your group to write prayers for their church or their children or those in the group. Try to exercise a variety of methods of prayer throughout the day. Bring your group back together from time to time during the day to see what is happening as they pray.
