Wednesday reviewed...

Message: PROXIMITY: Close to Others (Mark 2:1-12)
We used the passage of the 4 guys who carried a paralytic to Jesus and then lowered him through the roof so that they could get him to Jesus. The idea was to let the students visualize what lengths some people will go to in order to help someone else be changed by Jesus. We wrapped up with looking at Philippians 2 and talking about what Jesus gave up to set foot on earth.

Live Music:
Sing, Sing, Sing (Chris Tomlin)
Let Us Sing (Todd Fields)
All Because of Jesus (Steve Fee)
King of Majesty (Hillsong United)

Games: (out of a ***** system) (HS=high school; MS=middle school)
The Great Speed Meet (HS) ****
This is a tradition for starting the year and it's gone over really well every time we ave done it. Students pair up and sit across from one another in two lines. That means they are knee-to-knee while also having someone on their right and left. Each person has a list of questions they must ask the person opposite them while also answering the same questions. When we yell "switch" everyone moves one spot to their right and they repeat. When everyone has "met" everyone else we call up some volunteers and we see how much each "team" can remember about that person.
Masking Tape Game of Mayhem (MS) *****
Put masking tape on everyone's head or back and then try to rip the tape off other people. Easy enough, right? Yeah, apparently the middle schoolers enjoyed an excuse to gang up on Josh.
Poop Deck (MS) ***
I can't even explain. Josh led this one. But it requires running and occasionally yelling out pirate words. Apparently everyone was a little slow catching on.

Video:
"Jesus is My Friend" by Sonseed
"Jesus is My Friend (remix)" by David Crowder Band (played as students were leaving)

Numbers: 16 leaders, 45 students, 2 roles of masking tape

Special Stuff: We had a group of students carry another student around the room on a stretcher so that everyone could visualize what was maybe happening in Mark 2. At the end of the night we asked students to write something on a sticky note and then come paste it to the stretcher. "I will pray for...", "I will talk to...", "I will sit with...", etc. Simple, yet practical, follow through on how to work on growing closer to others.