Shoe Stew
Have everyone take off their shoes and put them in a pile in the middle of your space (this works well if everyone is standing in a circle).  Then, tell each person to take two random shoes and put them on.  (It might be difficult, but tell them to do the best they can.  You don't have to tie or buckle them on.)  Then, instruct everyone to find the two other people who have match to those shoes.  When one person is found, the shoe wearers must put their feet together, shoe to shoe.  Both people continue to search for the shoes that match their other shoe.  In order to do this, participants will have to twist, turn, and get all tangled up.
Note: This game works best with a small group (of up to 10-12 people).  If you have a large group, you may wish to separate into smaller groups.

Musical Objects
This game is a little like hot potato.  Have the group form a circle.  Ask a few people if you can borrow one of their shoes to play the game.  Tell the group that these shoes are now your "musical objects."  Start playing music (or have the participants start to sing).  As the music is going, the group must pass the musical objects around the circle.  When the song finishes (or when you decide to stop the music), the people holding the objects must act out whatever the leader tells them to for that round (for example, you could say that they have to act like a power ranger, ballerina, etc... get creative).  Then, start the music and object passing again, but this time, everyone who had one of the objects at the end of the round has to do their "action" every time they get a shoe.  There is no limit to how many actions any one person might have to do (so, if they end up with a shoe again, they could have to do extra actions).
Extra Materials: Music, music player (optional)

Do you have any fun games that use shoes?  Tell us about them in the comments below!

Check back on the blog next week for more fun youth group games!

Pick your favorite saints and cheer them on during the madness!  Here's the calendar of the matchups.  It looks like this year will be a good one!

This would be a fun activity for you to do with your family, youth group, or parish.  This activity is a great way to research and learn about the people who are on our Calendar of Saints.  You can even download a bracket to fill out prior to the start of Lent!

Get more information or download the bracket and above calendar on the Lent Madness website.

Who are you rooting for during Lent Madness?  Let us know in the comments section below!

Mission: the vocation or calling of a religious organization, especially a Christian one, to go out into the world and spread its faith.

The above definition is what came up when I typed the word “mission” into Google. I think we can all agree that it is not really the idea we had in our heads...at least it wasn't for me. When I think of "mission," I think of going somewhere in South America or Africa to help poor people in need, but not going out to spread faith. 

While mission work that involves helping people is not wrong, it is much more meaningful when you are building relationships with those you are helping. Mission has lost a lot of its meaning in the past years. Mission should not be looked at as a mandatory “if you don't do this you're a bad person,” or, “if I do this it will look good on my college application” type of work. It should be looked at as an intentional decision to help others and form new believers in Christ. 

I know that the Five Marks of Mission are used fairly often in the Episcopal Church but there is a reason behind it: they hit the nail on the head. 

Here are the Five Marks of Mission:

1. To proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom
2. To teach, baptize and nurture new believers 
3. To respond to human need by loving service 
4. To seek to transform unjust structures of society, to challenge violence of every kind and to pursue peace and reconciliation
5. To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth

Most people look at these marks the way they are numbered: 1,2,3,4, and 5. I like to look at them in a little bit of a different way. We as Christians are called to respond to human need by loving service, safeguarding the integrity of creation, transforming unjust structures of society and pursue peace and reconciliation. Through these things we can proclaim the good news of the Kingdom and teach, baptize and nurture new believers. When we look at the Marks of Mission as one being we are unlocking the door to a real and true mission experience. The marks are not for picking and choosing what you want to do; the Marks stand together and when you are doing one you should be doing them all. 

Integrating community, mission and teaching into one experience will change the way we look at mission. It will change the way people act towards it. We will not longer expect praise. We will no longer be serving inauthentically. We will be serving God and his church through a meaningful and authentic way.

What does "mission" mean to you?  How are you living out the Five Marks of Mission in your everyday life?  Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below!

This week's game is a fun rock, paper, scissors game for groups.  This is a great icebreaker game for groups of any size.  For this game, you will need a little creativity (and a lot of space for the group to move around)!

Evolution
Players will "evolve" from amoeba all the way up to some more highly evolved being of your choosing (you get to pick).  The goal of each player is to become the highest evolved being.

Everyone starts out as an amoeba (create some action for this; a good action for this stage is to crouch on the floor and walk around).  The players move around and find a partner to play rock, paper, scissors with.  Whoever wins the match "evolves" into the next level, a dinosaur (create an action for this level, too).  Then, players have to find another person of their same level to play with.  This time, the person who wins the match evolves again, and the person who loses regresses to the level below.  The goal is to make it to the highest level.

Here is an example of what the different levels can be (but you can create your own if you wish):
Amoeba
Dinosaur
Power Ranger
Teenage Driver
Youth group leader (or other level you so choose to create)

Get creative with the actions.  You can have all sorts of fun making up the different levels!

What rock, paper, scissors games do you like the most?  Tell us in the comments section below!

You may have heard of them before, but what are the Five Marks of Mission?

These five statements help us frame our mission as the Church.  Here are the five marks, in both English and Spanish:

We've been talking a lot about these in the Youth Ministry Office lately because the Five Marks of Mission are framework of this year's EYE program.  As a part of this summer's event, participants will be exploring the marks and how they are lived out in our own diocesan ministries.

We'll also be exploring the Five Marks of Mission during Lent Nightwatch.  Come join us to discover more about our mission as the Church!

How is your parish living out the Five Marks of Mission?  Tell us in the comments below!

Why should you encourage students in your youth ministry to attend summer camp?

Take a look at these portions of an infographic shared with us a couple of weeks ago by our ministry partners at Camp Stevens in Julian, California.  Here's why Christian camping is an important part of faith formation:

Some of those statistics seem kind of crazy, right?  Do you see this in your own ministry?  The statistics that get to us the ones about youth ministry support and funding.  There's only so much we can do with young people in our parishes.

But, we're not alone!  By partnering with camping ministries, we can help our young people have some of these experiences:

Camp is a place where our young people can form their faith in alternatives settings.  Camp is an important place where we learn the meaning of community and build intentional, life-long relationships with others.  Camp is a place where our young people can spend time away from the busyness of their lives and grow in their relationship with God and with others.

Camp is an important part of lifelong faith formation.  We have several opportunities for summer camp in our own diocese.  We welcome children in kindergarten through fourth grade to attend one of our summer day camps through our City Camp program.  You can learn more about City Camp here!

We also have a partnership with Camp Arrowhead in the Diocese of Delaware.  We encourage all parents and youth ministers to consider sending their students for a session at this residential, outdoor summer camp.  You can learn more about Camp Arrowhead and their programs here.

If you have any questions about camp or camping ministry, or how you can encourage your families to participate, contact the Office of Youth Ministry.  We'd love to help you make camp an important part of your Christian formation programs!  As a start, you can download the complete infographic at The Power of Camp website (which also has other great resources, too).

Did you attend summer camp growing up?  What life-changing experiences did you have?  Share them with us in the comments section below!

This game gets its own blog post because it's a big one!  This is a personal favorite of mine.  I learned this game while working at summer camp, and if I ever need a good, energetic large group game, I introduce this one.  Children and youth of all ages absolutely LOVE it.  It's a more "grown-up" version of Simon Says.

For this game, you will need a large, clear space.  A large room, gym, field, or other outdoor space is best.  Have everyone stand in the middle of the space.  The leader of this game is the "captain," everyone else are the "sailors."

There are 3 rules to this game:
        1. The captain calls out directions, and all the sailors follow.
        2. Sailors who cannot (or do not) complete a command must sit out until the next round.
        3. The last one or two people standing are the winners.

Here are some of the directions you can call out:

The best way to teach this game is to teach the basic commands first: bow, stern, port, and starboard.  Practice with those, then start introducing the others.  The order I typically go in is: basic commands, then The Captian is Coming, and then I start introducing the other ones.  You can create your own commands to spice things up, or you can change up the number of people they have to row ashore with by telling participants to "Row Ashore with (insert number of people here)."  Using partnered commands helps get people out quicker!

This game can sometimes get crazy, especially when participants start to get "out."  Have a game plan for those who are sitting on the sidelines.

This is a fun, energetic game that you can play for long periods of time.  It keeps kids of all ages entertained!

On Saturday, February 8th, the Diocese of Pennsylvania gathered to celebrate the life and legacy of Absalom Jones through music, worship, Word, and prayer.  Youth from around the diocese served as acolytes, readers, and intercessors.  Below you will find the prayers of the people, created and read by youth representatives.

Let us pray for the Church, the Body of Christ: that the Church may be relevant in its mission and ministry; that we may be unified as one Body of Christ in the world; that the Church may be mindful and responsive to the needs of others; and that the Church may be open to everyone, regardless of their background.

Lord, hear our prayer.

Let us pray for all who minister in the Church: that our bishop Clifton and all bishops would be visionary and prophetic leaders committed to reaching out to all people; that all priests would be a compassionate and pastoral presence in their communities; that all deacons would be voices for justice, inviting the Church to be responsive to the needs of the world; that all the baptized would be a priestly presence in the world through their daily living.

Lord, hear our prayer.

Let us pray for our nation and leaders: that equality for all would reign for all, regardless of race or background, and that our local and national governments would be responsive to the needs of everyone, especially in their own communities.  

Lord, hear our prayer.

Let us pray for the world: for peace and happiness in all communities and nations; that care for all of God’s creation would be a priority for each person; and that we each may see all people as members of one human family.

Lord, hear our prayer.

Let us pray for all who work for justice, peace, and equality in our world: that they might find the strength and endurance to stand up for those who might not have a voice; that they might be bold in their proclamation of what is right; and that the light and love of God may shine through their words and actions.

Lord, hear our prayer.

Let us pray for the needs within our communities: that education within our region would be of equal quality for all, and not dependent on the color of your skin, your economic status or the neighborhood you live in; for those living in poverty, that society might work together to provide for each person’s care; and that there may be an end to violence and each person would feel safe in their community.

Lord, hear our prayer.

Let us pray for all who find themselves in any need or trouble: that all who are sick, hurt, or in need of hope; for those who face oppression on a daily basis; and for those who feel alone and need to know God’s love and care.  We especially remember those we name now who are in need of our prayers, either aloud or in the silence of our hearts.

Lord, hear our prayer.

Let us pray for the departed, who remember now, either in our hearts or aloud.

Lord, hear our prayer.

Here's a little humor to start your week off right!

For the next few weeks the world will be watching the athletes gathering in Sochi, Russia, for the Winter Olympics.  There are all sorts of sports in which these teams compete--even some we've never heard of before.  New events are always being created every year.

This weekend, on Twitter, folks began posting their own ideas for Olympic games.  These games are, however, for what we would call the "Church Olympics!"

Look at these events.  Would you take home the gold in any of them?

If you could create any new sport to put in the Church Olympics, what would it be?  Leave your answer in the comments section below!

This week, instead of sharing a list of specific games with you, we would like to share with you some great websites where you can find endless amounts of games for your youth group.  Here are some of our go-to places for youth group games:

Jubed (http://www.jubed.com/youth_ministry/)
This site has games divided into many different categories, including ice breakers, indoor games, team building, etc.  This website also has extensive search filters, allowing you search for games based on age, space limitations, group size, and much more.

Youth Group Games (http://www.youthgroupgames.com.au/)
This site also has games divided by category.  Check out the "Top Ten" section of this site--it includes collections of the Top Ten youth group games in each category.  You can even submit your own game to be published on the site (if you do, let us know!).

The Source for Youth Ministry (http://www.thesource4ym.com/games/default.aspx)
This is the site where we have found many of the games used in our Stories and Rituals curriculum.  The "Games & Icebreakers" section has an abundance of games, divided by category, and also includes a great search feature.  Check out the article "The Seven Deadly Sins of Game Leading," which contains a lot of great tips and tricks for game leaders.

These are just a few of the sites we recommend for finding group games.  You can find more sites, along with links, under the "Resources" tab of our website.

What is your favorite youth group game?  Do you have any go-to places for games?  Tell us in the comments below!