CIA/ETM Start up, and Rock The River

Our youth ministry year has begun again.  You've seen how we started off the year with an overnight event, if you looked back a couple of posts.  

This is our first Tuesday CIA evening.  I started off the night with two activities.  First, I had the group have one person hold a pen, and all they could do was put it up and down on the paper, and had to have their eyes closed.  The other person had the paper and had to manipulate it into a specific drawing by telling their partner to put down the pen or lift it.  

Madii is trying to get Leah to make the drawing.  

Megan D looks MUCH more into this, than does my son Chris.  : ) 

They are all going strong.  

The end result for one set.  Not bad.  

We then had the group get in a circle and proceed to sit down on each other's lap...all at the same time.  When done properly, you all rest on each other's knee and it's quite comfortable...so I'm told.  : )  

They had a couple of tries at it, and finally made it work.  I then had them take steps while sitting...that was fun. 

Why do it?  To just remind them of teamwork and that living in community takes team work and communication.  

We break down into 5 smaller groups each week.  Here they are meeting together.  

Each week we have a Bible discussion of some sort and share our lives.  We are hoping that the sharing of our lives together will help us to grow together.  

We are also meeting from 6:45 to 7:15 pm with whomever wants to to read the Bible out loud   Pretty cool.  

A week later we had the CIA/ETM group come together.  I had them break up into 5 groups and take apart a banana.  THEN, they had to put it back together using toothpicks    

It was a bit gross.  

The fine art of surgery.  : )  

This group kept their surgery a secret untill the end.  

The end result.....

Surgery knife still included. 

So why do this....?  As a reminder that our relationships are fragile and when we do something that hurts the relationship, it never gets put back together quite the same way.  Not ever the same, so cherish your relationships and do your best to not have them fall apart.  

ROCK THE RIVER EVENT

On Saturday, September 29th, and Sunday, September 30th, the Billy Graham Crusade came to Ottawa.  Saturday was the Youth Day, and Sunday more of a Family Day.  Saturday's weather was much better than Sunday, but good crowds came out for both events.  

Many of our older young people and some young adults from Calvin were there as counselors and had the opportunity to talk with young people who came forward when the invitation was presented to dedicate their lives to Christ.  A great time of growth and learning for our youth and young adults.  I was very proud of them. 

On Sunday, they braved all that rain to once again be a counselor.  Awesome stuff.