Mystery Trip Model #2

I told you Monday of our first FUMC-K Mystery Trip- a ridiculously crazy 1996 trip to Myrtle Beach, SC.  In 1998 Jerry Hanbery and I (see picture) decided to do it again.  This time we would replace the wackiness of 18 hours in a van with a more creative approach. This time it would be a middle school only adventure, and our theme would be "Crazy Times."  And this time, Jerry and I had a serious plan...

We loaded up the vans at 7 PM on Friday, July 31st and hit the road.  This time there were no leaks;  no one on the two vans had any idea where we were going.  We headed north on the Florida Turnpike, and the kids were buzzing about where they thought we might be headed.  We then turned north on I-75, headed towards Ocala.  I was driving the always-iffy blue van, and I had the lead.  The blue van's issues played an important part in our plan.  About 4 miles south of Ocala, I "noticed" that the van seemed to be running hot.  I pulled off the side of the road and Jerry followed me, getting out of the white van to come assist me as I checked under the hood.  We had taped a baggie of water under the hood, and when I poured it on the engine (out of sight of the youth) steam went everywhere.  Jerry and I did some serious moaning and complaining about the "stupid blue van" and then returned to our vans, telling the students that the van was over-heating and that we were going to go ahead and stop for the night so we could try and get it fixed.  We stopped at several motels and I went in to see if they had any rooms (I had a great time telling the front desk clerks what we were doing so the youth could see me having conversations with them), only to return and tell the group there was no vacancy.  The youth were now getting a little nervous.  We finally found rooms at a Super 8 Motel (where, unknown to the youth, we had reservations!) and settled in for the night.  I held a meeting at which I informed the kids that I was going to try to get the van fixed, but that I did not know what the following day would hold.  We might just have to stay in Ocala. I drove off to get the van fixed while they enjoyed the pool.  I was not back when Jerry sent them to bed.  They went to bed grumpy.  It was perfect...

The following morning we woke everyone up early and told them to get ready, the van was fixed and we were leaving!  We hurried them, half-asleep, onto the vans and hit the road.  We were hoping that they would be too groggy to notice that we were now heading south on I-75.  And for a while, they were.  Slowly but surely, they begin to notice something had changed.  We stopped at a Burger King for breakfast, and the questions began in earnest.  We got back on the road, and finally some of the youth began to guess our final destination- Busch Gardens in Tampa.  And then- as if a fog was lifting- they began to realize that the entire "breakdown" the night before had all been planned.  We had fooled them completely, and they could not believe it- and a few were not real happy about it.  Jerry and I were giddy- we thought it was one of the best things we had ever done!  We went on to have a great day at the park, and a wonderful weekend, including a great time of worship on Sunday morning.  We wanted to make it memorable, and we had.  It was just one more time when a wild and crazy idea helped some students discover the presence of Jesus in their lives.


If you want to plan a Mystery Trip for your students, here are a few tips:

• Be outrageous with your planning.  Stay away from normal.  The idea is to blow their minds!
• Give out as little info as you can get away with before leaving.  Parents blab!
• Don't bait and switch.  If you advertise it as a wild and crazy weekend of fellowship, don't take them someplace and try to make them memorize Lamentations.  Know your purpose- and in the case of a Mystery Trip, the purpose should be FUN! 
• Make sure when you return that you let your youth tell lots of stories.  The students who missed this trip should come away feeling like they never want to miss a youth event EVER AGAIN!

I found out a few years later that there were a couple of students on that trip who NEVER got the message that the entire first night had been staged.  I found out when one of them asked me, "Where were we going to go on that Mid-High Mystery Trip before the van broke down?"  And the Oscar goes to Jerry Hanbery and Carl Jones...  

Mystery Trips (Vol. 1)

I've told you about Mystery Events and Gorilla Kidnappings- now it's time to share with you a couple of ideas we had for a bit more elaborate mystery event- The Mystery Trip!

Creativity is such an important part of student ministry.  As a youth worker you are constantly striving to come up with ideas that have a WOW factor.  You want to keep students a bit off-guard, wondering what you might come up with next.  You are always seeking new ideas, or at least ideas that are new to your group.  Summer is always one of the best times to really cut loose with wild, wacky & insane ideas.  You find should always push the limits of what is acceptable and what is possible, all because you have to get them to show up before you can share Jesus with them.  And every now and then, you cross the line between the creative and the insane!  Here's one example...

On August 2nd, 1996, the student ministry of the First United Methodist Church of Kissimmee went flying over that line.  As part of our summer ministries, we decided to do a Mystery Trip.  Students could sign-up, pay their $35 and have absolutely no idea where they were going.  We would give parents the information when they arrived at the church on the day of the adventure.  There was a tremendous amount of excitement generated by this new event, and about 25 of us (see group photo at top) prepared to share in the mystery.  The only people who knew where we were going were Jerry Hanbery (my intern) and myself.  We had decided to take the group to Myrtle Beach, SC.  Many of the students had never been, and we were planning a major trip there in the summer of 1997.  A weekend in MB seemed like a wonderful idea for an adventure.  And it was- eventually.

We left the church at 7 PM on Friday, August 2nd, but we had to wait for someone to finish their participation in a fashion show at the local mall, so we wound up sitting in the mall parking lot until around 8 PM.  During this wait, Kendall Crotty began to pass the word around that we were going to Myrtle Beach.  His mom had ratted us out (why is it always the parents who screw up mystery events?)!  Before we ever began our Mystery Trip, the mystery was solved.  That was the first bummer.  The second bummer was that I had been to MB a hundred times in my life, but never from Kissimmee, FL.  It's a long way.  A very long way.  About 9 hours.  I'll let you do the math, but suffice it to say that we arrived at the Days Inn in MB in the very early hours of Saturday morning.  We arrived, checked in, and went to bed.  It was noon before we were up and about and enjoying the sun and surf.

We had a great weekend.  We played together, ate together, visited the Myrtle Beach Pavilion together and worshipped together.  We spent 18 hours in vans to spend 30 hours at the beach when we lived in Florida; that was the insane part.  But we had wanted a memorable event, one that the kids would talk about for years to come- and we got one!  We had titled the weekend Live To Tell after the Geoff Moore and the Distance song for two reasons.  One, our theme for worship was that our lives should tell the people we meet that we were followers of Jesus.  Secondly, we wanted them to know that this weekend was about survival; that they had lived, and should spread the word that strange and wonderful things were happening in the youth ministry of FUMC-K.  On both counts the weekend was an amazing success.  It is safe to say that in those years Jerry and I were often wrong, but we were seldom boring...

We did another Mystery Trip a couple of years later that was not as insane, but was much more dramatic.  That story, and some tips on how to make your trip succeed, are coming Wednesday...  

Mystery Events

With apologies to Rev. Jesse Jackson, I have often said that three of the enemies of a thriving student ministry are, "Sameness, Tameness and Lameness."  I'm not even sure how many of those are actual words, but they do serve to get my point across. If your youth know what is coming all of the time, they will become complacent and perhaps a bit bored.  One way to spice up the summer calendar is to schedule some random Mystery Events.  I tried to do this at least once a summer to keep the kids on their toes.  Most times the events were small and not a big deal, but the youth always loved them.  Here's the publicity for one such event, taken from one of my Summer Brochures:


On Saturday, July 19th, Carl and a few of the Youth Counselors are going to a late movie.  You are invited to join them.  What movie, you may ask? HA!  That is information you cannot have.  Which theater?  More information that is for us to know and you to find out!  Simply meet at the church at 8 PM, bring money, bring your friends- and bring a parachute.  We will have you home by midnight- or sooner if you forget your parachute!  Here's one hint about what we will be seeing: It's a movie. We'll see you at the Late Show!


We always had a nice turnout and had great times at these events, which also included mystery meals, mystery games and mystery visits to the houses of our students.  We also took two completely wacky and insane mystery trips (those stories another day).  And then there was the most infamous of all the mystery adventures: Be Afraid...Be Very Afraid!  Few tings I ever did in youth ministry generated as much buzz as those three Saturday mornings.  Come back Friday to get the details...

Movie Marathons

Another simple fellowship event that can be done most anytime during the Summer is a Movie Marathon.  There are a million different ways to do an event like this, but here's how I usually did it.  I would pick a date and a location (generally the youth room at the church) and announce we would be watching 3 movies back-to-back-to-back.  I liked to do it during the day, because that is when the most students are bored silly.  We would provide pizza for lunch, popcorn for a snack and plenty of beverages.  All the youth had to do was show up, no reservations required.  It was free (although you could charge if you need to).  And we saw some AWESOME movies!


Movie selection is key.  You know your kids and your church, and I would never tell you how to go about choosing which DVDs to view.  But I would suggest that they be somehow related so that you have a theme.  We did a Star Wars trilogy day (back when there were only 3); we did a Pixar movie day; we did a "Sports Movie" day (featuring Cool Runnings, Angels in the Outfield and Remembering the Titans); and we did a Goofball Comedy day with Wayne's World, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure and Monty Python's Holy Grail.  We even did a Tom Hanks day, but I don't remember what movies we used. If I was doing one right now I might do Pirates of the Caribbean, Toy Story, or a Bill Murray collection.  That's just me.  You have to choose based on the taste of your group and what you feel is appropriate.


Whenever possible we also did things to make the event special.  For instance, the day we did Star Wars one of our parents (who was a sound engineer for the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular @ Disney's Hollywood Studios) brought in some huge speakers and hooked them up so that the bass from the films would shake the youth room.  It did- just ask the rest of the church staff who had offices one floor below us! :)  Or invite the students to dress as a favorite character or bring related toys.  Be creative, and the youth will love it!


One other thought- a movie does not have to be The Passion of the Christ to contain significant moments that can open a discussion about faith.  There is theology in most eveything. Perhaps the most theological movie I have ever seen is Pleasantville. So if you want the films to lead to deeper discussions, just choose wisely.


So there you go- another low preparation, low cost, high fellowship value event that will have your students buzzing and get them off their couches and into your youth room- which means more "face time" for you!  As for me, I think I'm going to have my own Movie Marathon this summer.  Lord of the Rings trilogy, here I come- AGAIN!  Be blessed my friends!

The Great Race

Almost a Pyramid!

If you are looking for a summer event that will draw a crowd and put a quick end to those old "church is boring" rumors, then The Great Race is for you!  It's simple to put together and loads of fun.  It works for any size group.  And it's time tested.  We did them when I was in high school- you know, before electricity!  :)

Here's how it works.  You put together a relay race featuring 10 to 12 events, and divide your youth into at least 2 teams.  The larger your ministry, the more teams.  Each team then decides on a team member to complete each leg of the race.  Pretty standard stuff, right?

An actual Pyramid!

Here's what make it interesting- diversity.  You can have a couple of events that require athletic ability, such as a distance run or a free-throw shoot.  But then, you just need to go crazy.  Use the old "eat crackers and whistle" routine.  Have one event be singing one of your favorite youth group songs from memory while being blasted with a water hose.  Use brain-teasers and math problems.  Have someone chug a Coke and belch.  Be as creative as possible- and as inclusive.  Try to have an event for everyone.

Eating Contests are always fun!

And then have a big finish.  Make each team gather at the finish line and accomplish some things together as a team.  I usually gave each team a bucket of water, a tiny paper cup and a 2-liter bottle and made them fill the bottle by passing the cup back (always touching EVERY team member) to the bottle.  I always had them make up a team cheer (with movements); and the finale was for each team to build a pyramid using all team members.  Great moments, great memories and great photo opps!

So there you have it.  Many of you are far more creative than I, so add your own twists and have a Great Race this summer.  Here's my guarantee- have this event once and your students will make certain it becomes an annual event! 

A Chain of Prayer

I have written here before that summers were the busiest time of year for the student ministries I served after 1987.  I always felt that the best way to start a summer was the same as the best way to start a day- with prayer.  After a few hit & miss ideas, I decided to try a Chain of Prayer as our summer kick-off- and I never looked back.

The Chain of Prayer is not an original idea, and there are lots of ways to do it.  Today I will share with you the things that worked best with my groups over the years.  We would pick a set number of hours on a date at the beginning of summer vacation and set them aside for our COP.  We did as many as 24 hours and as few as 6; it really depends on the size of your ministry and how many students you can get involved.  The hours would then be divided into half hour sections.  Students would be asked to commit to 30 minutes of prayer at the church.  The idea was that for whatever number of hours we chose, there would be someone praying for our church, our youth ministry, our summer programs and our people.  It's a very powerful idea.

I know of groups who have done this and allowed students to pray at home and just call in at the beginning and end of their session, but I don't feel like that has quite the same impact.  If everyone comes to the church (sanctuary, chapel, youth room, your office- you make the call!) then there is a greater connection.  Plus it allows you to provide the pray-er with devotional materials and a conducive atmosphere, such as a darkened space with candles.  Thirty minutes can be a long time for a teenager, and it helps for them to be in a place that feels like a sacred space for that time. Also, everyone coming to the same spot allows you to keep an ever-growing list of prayer requests as each person adds their own joy and concerns.  And finally, everyone coming to the church allows for you to greet and thank each participant and pray for them, as well as walk each person in and out of the space to keep the chain connected. That was always my favorite part...

I have a couple of final tips for leaders.  It's fine to have more than one person praying at a time, but try not to have best friends sharing a time slot.  They may have difficulty with focus.  Secondly, do NOT play music in the prayer space.  We need to to teach our youth the wonders of "being still" and enjoying silence. If they want to sing a praise song or break out a hymnal, that's wonderful!  But don't just provide background noise. And finally, be willing to fill the gaps.  If a student (or adult volunteer; they can sign up too!) doesn't show or no one signs up for any specific time slot, you need to fill that 30 minutes.  The whole idea is that for those hours, your group is in a unbroken chain of prayer to the Father.  As Fleetwood Mac would say, "Never break the chain."

So give it a try!  Start small and see the amazing things that can happen to your group when you teach your students how to pray.  I'll see you Thursday to tell you about The Great Race.  Join us!

It's SHO-Time!

SHO-Time, Olive Garden Style!

One of the most popular ideas I ever came up with for my student ministries was called SHO-Time (Senior High Only).  The origin was simple enough.  For most of my 28 years as a youth pastor our high school students and middle school students met together on Sunday evenings and Wednesday nights.  I wanted to begin doing some special programming that would allow each of those groups to do things on their own.  SHO-Time was a no-brainer.  I just picked a night and a restaurant and invited our high school students to meet me there, or to meet at the church if they need a ride.  I began the program in 1988; it was still going strong at a 5th different church when I left the ministry in 2007. 

Although SHO-Time began as a once-a-month school year event, it was also a staple of our summer programming.  The laid back, no school limits atmosphere of summer allowed us to visit restaurants that were farther away or required more time to eat.  We always tried to alternate the more expensive places with cheaper ones to keep things affordable.  And during the summer we would often find ways to hang out after the meal, whether by going back to the church or out to a movie or miniature golf.  It just made for another awesome night of fellowship. Plus, it is a wonderful event in which to include your family.  My son Will grew up thinking every kid got to eat out with awesome high school students like he did!

SHO-Time can be easily adjusted to fit your group's needs.  If you already split high school and middle school students, then you could use it to do something special for your 11th and 12th graders.  It's just a great way to do something new for your older youth- and their friends! This is another simple program that attracts new kids like flies to a smelly church van.  It will also give you a good reason to come up with creative ideas to make everyone else in your youth ministry feel special too!

One final note about SHO-Time (and this is HUGE):  No matter if there is only 1 student who shows up, NEVER cancel it.  You can't make anyone feel important if the message you send is, "Just you is not enough."  It's all about relationships, not numbers.

So try SHO-Time at your church, and enjoy!  Check back tomorrow and I'll tell you all about The Chain of Prayer- the best way to start a summer!

Summer Programs: Happy Hour!

Happy Hour has long been a favorite gimmick of bars and restaurants for drawing in customers with the promise of discounted drinks and a crowd of people.  For the summer of 2003 I was looking for a new way to create fellowship opportunities with my youth group when a different kind of Happy Hour caught my eye.  It seemed our local Sonic Drive-In would be offering half priced drinks from 2-4 PM each day, including milk shakes, lime-aids and sodas.  A plan began to develop...

I went to the manager at Sonic and told him my idea.  One afternoon each week during the summer I would come and "hang out" at one of the covered picnic tables outside the drive-in from 2-4 PM.  During this time, my thought was that any number of my youth might stop by for a few minutes to have a cold drink and chat a while.  He thought it was a great idea and agreed to provide me with half off food coupons as well.  I decided to do it on Wednesdays as a lead in to our big Wednesday Night Live! program.  I included it in our Summer Brochure and awaited the results.

Happy Hour was a big hit, but in a very different way from what I had imagined.  Students tended to show up at 2 PM and stay the entire 2 hours!  There were always folks who dropped by to visit and then left, but every week we were there a core group hung out the entire time.  We played cards, listened to music and talked about their lives.  It tended to be an odd mix of youth each week, so they were building relationships with each other as well as with me.  We ate lots of food, drank lots of drinks and slammed down the occasional banana split. For a couple of summers in Tampa and one in Waycross, these gatherings were a highlight of our summer schedule. 

You may not have a Sonic Drive-In in your community, but I bet you have someplace (even someone's home) where you could do a Happy Hour a few times this summer.  It's cheap, it requires very little planning, and it gives you a great opportunity to encounter students on neutral turf.  And they will bring friends- trust me.  A little cherry lime-aid outreach never hurt anyone!  If you have any questions about planning summer events, feel free to e-mail me youthguy07@aol.com . 

Join me Monday and I'll tell you about one of my favorite year-round fellowship events that can take on a whole new life in the summertime- SHO-Time!  See you then!

The Magic of Summer

Summer- it turns me upside down
Summer, Summer, Summer
It's like a merry-go-round...
Oh, Oh it's magic when I'm with you...   -The Cars

For many churches, the end of the school year means the end of another grueling season of student ministry.  You've been consumed with teaching, outreach and trying to learn the latest worship songs.  You've survived a retreat or two, and, if you're old school, maybe even a lock-in.  You've struggled with planning your schedules around the 6 different high schools and 7 different middle schools your youth attend, and you've felt like you never get enough time with the kids.  If any of that applies to you as a youth pastor, then I'd like to offer you some FREEDOM!  Welcome to Summer!

Everyone has heard the stories of the students who are bored to tears by the third day of summer vacation- and those stories are very true (I know- I have a 15 year old)!  Summer is a time when many of your students have more spare hours than at any other point in the year.  As a youth pastor, I was always one to plan huge summer programs, including a mission trip and a "vacation" trip- but that was never the best part of summer for me.  It's just a great time for a youth pastor to hang out with their students and build relationships- often in ways that are far superior to anything you can do during the school year.  Whether you meet on a regular basis all summer long or cut back on programming, there are things you can do that will give you the opportunity to gather smaller groups of students for times of fun, fellowship and any other purpose you might have in mind.  And these events and programs can be done with minimal preparation and effort- and at almost no cost.  They simply require your time.

Starting Friday I am going to share (one at a time) a bunch of things I did over my 28 years in youth ministry to make summers magical.  All of these ideas are so simple and easy to plan that you could add any number of them to your schedule this summer if you so choose.  They are not earth-shakingly creative or unique.  But they worked for me in a variety of situations over almost three decades of ministry.  It seems to me that everyone has a choice to make about summers and student ministry.  You can slow down your ministry and give your youth the freedom to watch Jersey Shore marathons all summer.  Or you can plan a few extra events that give you the freedom to really get to know your students in ways you might not have thought possible.  Summers can should be the most magical part of the year for youth ministry.  Come back Friday and discover the joys of a youth group Happy Hour!