group magazine archives

Hope in Tough Times

group magazine: February, 1994

From: February/March 1994 JR. HIGH MINISTRY Magazine
Keywords: Hope Trust Helpless
CREATIVE PROGRAMMING
MEETING PLAN
Hope in Tough Times
Help kids trust God when they feel hopeless.
BY CHIP BORGSTADT
meeting PLANNER
WHY THIS MEETING IS IMPORTANT
As junior highers grow, they become aware that some situations are beyond their control. Many kids may feel helpless and hopeless as they struggle to make sense of life's painful or unjust uncertainties
Use this meeting to help kids trust God for help in hopeless situations.
FUN FACT
The dictionary says hope is a confident trust, a wishful expectation, and a person in whom confidence is placed. Christians know our hope is embodied in Christ!
WHAT KIDS WILL LEARN
In this meeting, junior highers will
*experience helplessness and hopelessness,
*learn what the Bible says to those in hopeless situations, and
*practice alternatives to hopelessness.
MEETING TIME LINE
*Preparation-20 minutes
*Opener Option 1-10 minutes
*Opener Option 2-10 minutes
*Bible Experience-20 minutes
*Reflection-10 minutes
*Closing Option 1-10 minutes
*Closing Option 2-5 minutes
BEFORE THE MEETING
For the opener "Portraits of Hope" and the closing "Real Portraits of Hope," spread newspaper over tables in your meeting room. Set out jars of water, watercolor paints, and paintbrushes.
For the Bible Experience, you'll need a large, fancy container filled with snacks, such as brownies or grapes. Choose a container that's as elaborate as possible so kids will want to win it!
choose your OPENER
îOPENER
OPTION 1:
Portraits of Hope
çYou'll need newspaper, jars of water, watercolor paints, paintbrushes, and black construction paper.
Give kids each a sheet of black construction paper, then gather them around the tables of painting supplies.
çSay: Think about something that encourages you when you feel down and hopeless, such as a hug from a friend. Once you've thought of something, paint a picture of it on your black sheet of construction paper.
After five minutes, have kids walk around the tables and view the paintings.
çAsk: What encourages you when you feel down and hopeless? What happened when you painted it on black paper? How is this like trying to find hope and encouragement in the midst of difficult times?
çSay: Sometimes it's hard to see anything encouraging in the midst of difficult situations. Let's find out how God offers hope in hopeless situations.

îOPENER
OPTION 2:
Bummers
çYou'll need markers and self-stick notes.
Give each person a marker and five self-stick notes. çSay: Bummers are unpleasant situations or things people say that make us feel hopeless. Write on each note something that's a real bummer for you, such as a scowling, depressed person.
After two minutes, çsay: Now, stick each of your bummer notes on five different people. You can't remove any notes that people stick on you. You can only stick your five notes on others.
After kids have done this, have them read aloud the bummers. çAsk: What was it like sticking your bummer notes on other people? How did you feel when someone stuck a bummer note on you? How is this like feeling hopeless in life? What do you do or say when you feel hopeless?
çSay: When we feel hopeless, we may make others feel hopeless, too. Our negative actions and words may bring people down. Let's find out how God uplifts us and gives us hope in hopeless situations.
Have kids stick the bummer notes on a wall for later use.
BIBLE
EXPERIENCE:
Building Plans
çYou'll need scissors, construction paper, masking tape, a tape measure, a container of snacks, Bibles, paper, and pencils.
Form teams of no more than four. Give each team scissors, construction paper, and masking tape. çSay: Use your supplies to make a prayer tower to remind us to pray when life looks hopeless. The only rule is that the tower must measure exactly 3 feetx5 1/2 inches. The team with the tower this exact height will win this wonderful prize. (Bring out the fancy container filled with snacks.) You have five minutes to build. Go!
After five minutes, bring out the tape measure and see which tower measures exactly 3 feetx5 1/2 inches. When none of the towers measures up, çsay: Oh, well. None of the towers is the right height. I guess nobody gets any prize. (Place the container out of sight.)
çAsk: What was it like trying to build your tower to the exact height? How did you feel when you missed the mark and didn't win the prize? How was this like hopeless situations you face in life?
çSay: Let's read the Bible and discover how God helps us in hopeless situations. Form pairs by getting with a person from another team.
Give each pair a Bible, a sheet of paper, and a pencil. Have partners each take turns reading aloud Jeremiah 29:4-14. Then have them write on their sheet of paper a hope-filled message from God; for example, "Don't feel hopeless. I'm planning a good future for you! Love, God."
After five minutes, have volunteers read their hope-filled messages. Serve the snacks and çsay: As you fill up on snacks, think about how you can fill up on God's hope!
REFLECTION:
Sculpting Workshop
çSay: Let's work off the snacks with a little sculpting. The partner with the longest last name is the sculptor, the other is the clay. Sculptors, mold the clay to show one thing you could do to give yourself hope the next time you feel hopeless. For example, you could pray or read the Bible. You have one minute. Ready? Sculpt!
After one minute, have sculptors describe their clay statues. Then have partners switch roles and mold new statues.
çAsk: What are some things we can do to give us hope? What do you think God wants us to do when we feel hopeless?
çSay: God wants us to trust him and continue to look for hope in life. God wants us to remember that he has good plans for our future.
choose your CLOSING
îCLOSING
OPTION 1:
Real Portraits of Hope
çYou'll need newspaper, jars of water, watercolor paints, paintbrushes, and white construction paper.
Use this closing if you used the opener "Portraits of Hope." Gather kids around the tables of painting supplies and black paintings. Give each person a sheet of white construction paper.
çSay: Think again about what encourages you when you feel down and hopeless. This time, paint a picture of it on your white sheet of construction paper.
After five minutes, have kids walk around the tables and view the paintings.
çAsk: What encourages you when you feel down and hopeless? What happened when you painted it on white paper? How is this like the hope God gives us in life?
çSay: When difficulties overwhelm us, remember that God is our bright picture of hope. He has planned good futures for us.
Have kids take both paintings home as reminders that God has planned good futures for them.
îCLOSING
OPTION 2:
Bummer Go Away
çYou'll need the bummer notes and a trash can.
Use this closing if you used the opener "Bummers." Gather kids by the bummer notes sticking to a wall. Place a trash can close by.
çSay: When we feel hopeless, we can trust God to help us. Let's say a prayer offering to God these hopeless situations.
Take one bummer note off the wall, read it aloud, then throw it in the trash can as you pray, "God, bring hope to this bummer situation." One at a time, have kids each take a bummer note off the wall, read it aloud, then throw it away as they repeat the prayer. Continue until all the bummers have been offered to God. Say "amen" and end with a group hug.
LEADER TIP
Some kids seek attention by focusing on helplessness and hopelessness. Help them identify three positive actions they can take when they feel hopeless-then check back to see if they've tried any of them.
Chip Borgstadt is a youth worker in Nebraska.
Copyright© 1994 Group Publishing, Inc. / JR High Ministry Magazine