Help your youth understand 24/7 holiness

Leader Guide

Student Guide

Looking for something NEW to share with your teens this Lenten season? Consider introducing them to Rueben Job's new take on the General Rules that John Wesley shared with Methodist societies in England long ago.

Even though many things have changed since the days of John Wesley, such as language, transportation, and fashion, these three principles have not:

1. Do no harm
2. Do good
3. Stay in love with God

"Teens today are not averse to making sacrifices on behalf of others, to eliminating practices and habits that are harmful, or to engaging in spiritual practices.

They want to do no harm, do good, and stay in love with God; but they need adults to guide and set an example for them." - from Three Simple Rules 24/7

Consider using some of the activities mentioned in the Three Simple Rules 24/7 youth study to help teens understand the meaning of each rule. Here's an example:

24/7 Holiness

• Divide your teens into groups of 3-4.
• Challenge youth to make a list of ways that they can stay in love with God in their daily lives.
• Each group has a turn to share their list.
• Other groups listen and will cross off any items that another group has mentioned or listed.
• Only the unique items will remain unread.
• See which group listed the most unique examples. (You might even consider giving prizes.)

The Christmas season has come, and many of us are looking for ways to help our teens understand and experience the true meaning of Christmas. Here are a few fresh ideas (based on the Scripture from Mark 12:33) that can help your teens know and share the love of God this season.

• Help your teens use their heart (emotions) this Christmas. Create a collage using poster board, slides, or video that illustrates people in situations that tug at heartstrings. Spend some time discussing with teens the feelings they experience while viewing this collage. Discuss why it’s important to “love God with all your heart,” and help them identify and seek out persons in their community who are in need of a heart connection this Christmas.
• Help your teens use their understanding (mind) this Christmas. Challenge your teens to think about the true meaning of Christmas, and help them see the connection between their faith and their effort. For example, what is one important issue for those who are poor and marginalized in your community? Have your youth write letters to local, state, or federal officials in support of those at risk.
• Help your teens use their strength this Christmas. Contact your local Habitat for Humanity® and get involved in a work project to help a needy family in your community.
• Help your teens love their neighbor this Christmas. Divide youth into groups based on geography, and ask each group to host a neighborhood Christmas gathering at one of their homes. Then invite neighbors to come to the home to share cookies, carols, and a Christmas story.

“To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” (Mark 12:33 NIV)

Looking for ways to keep your youth connected once summer vacation starts?

Aaaah, summertime! A great summer tradition is to catch up on some good reading during vacations and other leisure time. As a Sunday school teacher of youth, you can encourage this great practice and offer some creative reading suggestions to your class members.

A summer online book club can keep your teens interested and connected even if they go out of town. E-mail your class members ideas for great books to read. Encourage their participation in online discussion and challenge them to use this program as an outreach tool. You could even add recipes for snacks they can create and eat while chatting about their books.

If your Sunday school class (or you) is not tech savvy, try using the last few minutes of your class each Sunday during the summer to discuss books youth have read. Or, if there is a fellowship time between Sunday school and church, use this time for the youth to grab light refreshments and chat about books.

Study your youth to see how they react to you and to one another.

You know the old line: “We’re really a friendly group here. We like having visitors.” Most often, the truth of the matter is that many established youth ministry settings (including Sunday school) have few visitors, and those that they do have rarely become regulars. Here are two strategies for meeting the needs and issues of new people and visitors:

• Send youth (and possibly adults) from your group to visit youth ministry settings in other churches. Be honest with the people in the settings you visit about what you are doing. Let them know you are researching what makes youth ministry attractive and comfortable for new people and visitors. Ask them to go about business as usual. After your youth have visited other groups, ask them to report what they have learned.
• Do a quiet, two-question survey with every visitor who attends your youth class. Do this survey away from the group as the person is leaving or as a follow-up to his or her visit. Some potential questions you may ask:
  
  a. What about your visit would encourage you to come back?
  b. What happened that made you feel uncomfortable or out of place?

Become a student of your students and study the way they react to you and to one another. And remember: “We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves; let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to edify him” (Romans 15:1-2).

Spiritual growth is based on building good relationships with God and others through sharing faith, going deep into heart matters, asking questions, praying, and more. Each of these involves risking and trusting.

Our task as youth leaders and teachers is to create and maintain an environment with clear boundaries so that youth can be assured that they will be respected, listened to, and cared for no matter what!

What is the bottom line in teaching teens about respect for God, others, and themselves? Set good boundaries and keep them! Boundaries help youth learn how to respect and relate to others; in doing so, they feel better about themselves. Here are some practical ideas and ways for setting and communicating boundaries:

• Create covenants (youth leader with youth, teen to teen, parent with teen, or parent with youth leader) about how all will treat one another.
• Create a classroom top 10 list of the things youth and leaders agree to abide by inside and outside of the classroom (such as agreeing to treat one another with respect).
• Create youth group business cards. Include youth group information on the front of the card and boundaries and/or expectations on the back.

Be sure to include youth in the boundary-setting process, and make sure that you are preparing your teens up for success.

• Send a Bible riddle or puzzle each week. See if you can create a simple puzzle or game to reinforce the lessons being taught.
• Share a note of encouragement to brighten their day.
• Invite them to participate in an upcoming Sunday school event.
• Give them a question to ponder or even a simple research project to do during the week in preparation for next Sunday’s class.
• Start a Sunday school chain letter. For instance, send one teen the name of your favorite Old Testament Bible character with a list of all the class e-mail addresses. Ask that person to add the name of his or her favorite character and forward the list to another class member until everyone has had a chance to add a name and tell why he or she chose that person.

Remember that youth need someone to listen; some may open up more through e-mail than in face-to-face conversations. So be sure to “listen” to their e-mails to you, too.

For children and youth, get permission from a parent or legal guardian to send e-mail, as there are legal and safety issues. Read this pdf about cyber safety.

Integrating teens with special needs into the classroom can be extremely rewarding and yet physically challenging.

Here are just a few things to consider when adjusting your classroom for a teen with special needs.

• Assess the facilities. Students may have special needs that require accommodations and adjustments. Think beyond the classroom itself; check on the accessibility and safety of restrooms, grounds, the fellowship hall, the sanctuary, and other places that students may go. Be prepared to assess ahead of time the facilities you will be visiting on trips and outings.

• Select teachers carefully. Choose teachers who are strong in their faith, positive, mature, enthusiastic, patient, and calm. Also, look for teachers and classroom volunteers who have the physical stamina to deal with the physical demands of an individual with special needs. Our desire is that all teachers feel confident and supported when working with students with special needs.

• Train for special needs. Some of the student’s needs may require specialized training (use of some equipment, procedures for handling seizures, CPR, and so forth). If so, ensure that teachers are trained or that a trained observer is readily available.

• Plan ahead for food-related activities. If food is to be served or Communion administered, remember that some students may have difficulty swallowing or have nutritional limitations (such as blood sugar irregularity) that require limiting their food intake. Be sure to ask parents about their child’s nutritional needs.

(These materials were taken from the Claim the Name: Teaching Plans for Including Youth with Special Needs; excerpt posted on www.claimthename.com.)

For an innovative way to stay connected with your youth while you’re away, try video messaging your teens!

I sat at my desk and wept that day. I would never think of Sunday school teachers in the same way again, and I also knew that I wanted to be a part of God's teaching team. That day I wanted nothing more than to become a Sunday school teacher.

Perhaps all the Sunday school teachers in your church might find a time to share with one another their stories about how they were led to the ministry of teaching Sunday school. Becoming aware of the unique ways in which God has led each of us to the teaching ministry can bring us closer and inspire you anew in the work to which you have been called.

What's your story? When or how did God lead you to this place of teaching teenagers? How has your life been changed by answering God's call to teach?

Melissa Strausbaugh, Christian Education Consultant for Cokesbury Christian Music and Education Services