Do teenagers pray? Absolutely. But will they talk about prayer? Will they pray together in public? If not, what can youth workers do to encourage meaningful group prayers?
Trying to do effective events with prayer is one of the great challenges of youth ministry. We have had some success breaking down the Lord’s Prayer and having the youths re-write it, segment by segment, in their own words. Some young people have shared, years later, how meaningful an activity this was. But this was, more or less, an intellectual exercise. What about the spiritual side of prayer?
Try the following set of activities. Pre-set a “Trust Challenge” area in your meeting place. Outline a walkway about three feet wide by twenty feet long in tape. Be prepared to scatter ten 8×11-inch pieces of construction paper in various patterns on the walkway. Now you will be set for a game entitled”Bombs away.”
Before playing the game meet with the group. Ask the youths to imagine that they are facing a difficult situation and that they each need someone to talk to who can be trusted. Ask them if there is one person in the youth group (not counting adults) whom they feel comfortable talking to. Then ask how many have two, three, or four people they can trust. Take time to discuss what makes people trustworthy.
Now take the youth to the “Trust Challenge” area. Break the youth off into pairs. Let them choose a partner and, if a few can’t find a partner, assist them. Have the two partners split with one person at one end of the walkway and the other at the opposite end. Blindfold one person and then scatter the construction sheet “bombs” throughout the walkway. Ask the partner of the blindfolded youth to give verbal cues guiding him or her down the corridor as quickly as possible without stepping on any “bombs.” Keep track of the time taken, adding penalty seconds for bombs stepped on. It should take between a minute to two minutes for most youth to accomplish this blindfolded yet guided walk. Switch sides and let the guides become the blindfolded walkers.
Return to a discussion area and announce the winners of the event. Then ask the important question. How did it feel when the guide was unable to successfully steer his or her partner through the maze? When did the youth begin to lose trust? Most of our young people verbalized that they maintained trust after stepping on a “bomb” or two but lost trust as the errors mounted.
At this moment point out that the exercise, just completed, helps us understand our relationship with God. We cannot see him but we can hear his guidance through our study of his Scripture and through our prayers. When youth carefully listened to their partner’s instructions, they were successful in navigating the maze. Similarly we need to carefully listen for God’s guidance. With this thought in mind ask the youth to sit on the floor in a circle. Ask them to share one thing in this world each would like to see changed. Write these things down. The changes could involve themselves, the youth group, their families, their schools, or the world. Point out that sharing such important things requires a trust in each other.
Have small candles available that can be safely held while lit. Place them in the center of the group. Read the requests for change that were shared and recorded and advise the youth that the group will pray for them in the following manner. A youth leader will pick up a candle, light it, and pray referencing some of the recorded concerns. Once the youth leader completes his or her prayer, youth are invited to, one at a time, light a candle from the youth leaders candle and continue the spoken prayer. The list of things the group wished to see changed is made available as a guide to each youth praying. After a couple of candles have been lit extinguish the lights in the room.
When we did this one of our youth asked, “Do you mean pray out loud?” I replied, “Yes, that is what trust is all about.” Though only an eighth grader, he participated. When all youth who wish to pray do so, the youth leader should say a concluding prayer and then ask the youth to see how their “candles of prayer” have brightened the room. Advise that our prayers bring hope and light to people then extinguish the candles one by one, noting the contribution each youth’s candle made to overcoming the darkness.
We began this discussion by asking, “Will teenagers talk about prayer and pray in public?” Will they open their hearts to their peers? Try this activity. It worked for us and it can work for you.
Tim Ferguson and his wife, Linda, currently lead a Junior/Senior High Youth Group at the Community Presbyterian Church in Deer Park, N.Y. Tim is the author of the book, Not the Same Old, Done-it-before Youth Meeting: Setting the Pace for Christian Youth.
