Outdoor movies and reading ideas

*An idea if the weather is nice is to find a laptop, lcd projector, and speakers and show a movie outside (if you don’t have the equipment ask around in your church/community, someone might be willing to loan it or run it for you for the evening). You could use a white sheet as a screen or if you are lucky enough you might have a light-coloured side of the church building to use. Remember to check on copyright restrictions before showing a “commercial” film. AVEL [Audio Visual Educational Library] films come with public performance rights already. To see what AVEL has to offer follow this link AVEL link. Don’t forget to provide drinks and movie watching snacks (popcorn being the traditional one!). And ask folks to bring either lawn chairs or a blanket to sit on. If you want to turn it into a study opportunity you can try some of the movie studies posted at Youth Specialties movie resources link *please keep in mind that these studies comes from a site that does not necessarily reflect the theology of the United Church of Canada. You may have to adapt them and other articles as needed should you choose to use them.


* Just for You ~ As we enter into the summer and hopefully a slower pace perhaps you have a little time to catch up on reading. Here you’ll find a link to Top 10 Youth Ministry Books links . I’ve either read or heard good things about most on the list. Others I can suggest are "Sustainable Youth Ministry" by Mark DeVries, "Go Deep" by Doris E. Kizinna (a United Church resource!), "Inside the Mind of Youth Pastors" by Mark Riddle *(I'm pretty sure he's not related to Tom for all you Harry Potter fans!), and "The Unofficial United Church Handbook" edited by Scott Douglas and Nanette McKay (and I'm not shamelessly promoting it just because they are friends of mine.  It is both hilarious and thought-provoking!)  If you have others you can suggest please add them to this post or let me know (dcoss@confmnwo.mb.ca)

As you plan for the fall perhaps you’d like to explore a different way of offering youth ministry in your particular context. Here’s a great article to spark some thinking A-Program-less Youth Ministry article .


Have a wonderful summer and see you back here the second week in September when we hopefully resume our web-links posts again. Blessings for a renewing and rejuvenating summer enjoying God’s glorious creation!

Postcards and summer rest

*Give your youth some pre-stamped and addressed postcards and ask them to drop you a line from wherever they are this summer. You could even get the youth to design and make the postcards for you during a session together (and then put in your address and attach the stamps to them before they leave with them).



* Just for You ~ As if you needed a reason by now!…
Enjoy seven-benefits-of-shutting-down-youth-ministry-programs-for-the-summer article link *please keep in mind that this article comes from a site that does not necessarily reflect the theology of the United Church of Canada. You may have to adapt other articles as needed should you choose to use them.

Summer Ideas

*Buy a big tray/flat of canned drinks. Then fill up a big cooler with ice and put the cans in there. Go with your youth group to a park, or fair, or just stand on a street corner and hand them out to people on a hot day. If they ask you why you can tell them it is just a practical way to share God's love. You will get tons of different reactions. (“Random Act of Kindness idea” under the heading from http://www.youthworker.org.uk/). *please keep in mind that this article comes from a site that does not necessarily reflect the theology of the United Church of Canada. You may have to adapt other articles as needed should you choose to use them.

~Talk with your youth about what it means to be called to do good for others without expecting thanks in return.  Our Jewish sisters and brothers have a word that encompasses that "mitzvah".  See what you can learn about that concept.  You can start here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitzvah


* Just for You ~ Read Lines article link . You may also want to read/sing the More Voices Hymn “My Love Colours Outside the Lines” by Bruce Harding found at MV #138. If your congregation doesn’t have a copy of More Voices encourage them to order a few from Wood Lake Books at More Voices link. More Voices has excellent music resources than can enhance your congregation’s music ministry.