Bring it together: about 7:15pm

"Hey, glad to see you all here. Welcome to ?????

Introduce new people: give them a blow-pop, skittles, or snickers bar, etc.

Youth Challenge: (an up front game/crowdbreaker) Have two students come up and do some challenge against each other. (Chubby bunnies, dollar hop, baby food eating contest, burp contest, etc. Be creative!!!

Announcements: upcoming activities, events

Games: Choose games from Game List

Discussion Starters:

God Making Exercise: Every group gets a big piece of butcher paper. Have the group start by tracing one of their group members bodies on the paper. They are to write "God" on the top of the paper. Then have them write and draw qualities of their perfect God. Be creative (e.g. eyes that look for the good in all, ability to . . .)

Ask students about their God

Small Group Questions:

Rules
1. Be honest or be silent (you can pass)
2. Respect- only one person talks- don't be rude
3. Be confidential

Go around the circle/Everybody Finish the sentence:
1. When I think about God, I think of . . .
2. A situation where God seemed real to me was . . .
3. If I found out for sure that God was real, I would . . .

Questions:
1. Where did you get your idea or conception of God?
2. If there is a single truth about God- who he is, his relationship to us, etc.- would you want to know it- the truth! ????
3. Have you ever looked into finding out the truth? (Optional- Why not now?)
4. Where might we find the truth about God

Listening check- something someone said that struck you

Wrap Up:

Story:
There was a man named Malcolm McCaffree. He claimed God does not exist. He spend most of his life telling his friends what a waste it was to believe in some God they couldn't see. He would get angry and shake his fists when people prayed and he mocked them for their foolishness. He vowed never to waste time praying- because God wasn't there.

One night, after leaving a bar, he heard footsteps behind him. Three guys were following him. He picked up his pace and turned a few corners but they still followed. Finally he broke into a run, ducked around two corners and headed down an ally. He didn't see them but he could hear them in the distance. Looking around he realized he and wandered into a dead end. Having no other choice, he jumped in a dumpster. From the dumpster he heard footsteps coming down the ally. He then heard a bottle break and heard the sound of glass being dragged against the wall coming closer and closer.

Malcolm tried not to breathe. He had never been so scared in his life- he thought he would surely die. In the quietest voice possible he closed his eyes and prayed, "God I know you're there. If you could just help me out of this one mess."

I'm not even going to finish this story. The point is made clear. The Bible says that all of us know of God and his wonderful qualities. Some of us have been shaking our fists at him and buying the lies around us that he doesn't exist or that he's some old mean guy with a beard.

Share Gospel
e.g. Let me share who he truly is. Romans 5:8