Download Community Builder Ideas (for website)

Community Builder Ideas (for website)
Name Game: Gather the group in a circle. Ask the participants to think of an object that rhymes
with their name. Instruct the group that as you go around the circle, each person will share his or
her own name and object and then repeat the names and the objects of each person who came
before. As a result, when the circle is complete, the last person (you, the leader) will name every
person and object in the circle. Start the game by saying: “We are going on a journey and we are
bringing...”
Example: “My name is Hanna and I am bringing a banana.” “Her name is Hanna, she is
bringing a banana, my name is Spence and I'm bringing a fence.”
Christ Candle: When all participants are gathered, light a candle as a reminder of the presence
of Christ within the gathered community of faith. Say something like: “We light this candle as a
simple reminder that God is with us in all of our words and actions as we share together
(today/tonight), and when we leave this place, Jesus, the Light of the World, helps us to see every
step on the journey of faith.”
Graffiti Sheets: Place newsprint on the walls around the room (or if available, use one or more
large dry-erase or chalk boards). Write a mix of fun and serious questions on the “graffiti walls.”
As participants arrive, invite them to pick up a marker and write a response to each question.
This is a great way to start engaging studentts while creating a grace period for late arrivals.
Sample questions include:

If you could choose one super power, what would you choose?

If you could ask God one question today, what would it be?

If you were a food, what would you be?

What is your dream vacation?

Which celebrity might people confuse you with?
Pow-Wow: For this Community Builder, you need some sort of two-sided object that can be
passed or tossed from person to person. A youth group in Indiana uses a homemade pillow that
says “Pow” on one side and “Wow” on the other. You could easily make a cardboard or wooden
token.
This activity provides a way for participants to share a little bit about their week. As the
group grows closer, participants will naturally share deeper issues in their lives. As you pass the
Pow-Wow object, each person should share something that happened during the past week. A
“Pow” is something that didn’t go very well—“Pow! I spilled my lunch tray at school.” A
“Wow” is something exciting or positive—“Wow! My team won our game this weekend.” As
facilitator, you can direct this activity to be as light or as serious as you feel the group is ready
for. You may ask a question about an activity at the church or relate it to the homework from the
related chapter of the Baptism Ahead book. The goal of the exercise is more about giving
permission to share than about what is actually shared.
Sand and Oil: This Community Builder is similar to Pow-Wow, but lends itself to more serious
reflection and sharing. You may find it is an activity better suited for use at the closing time of
your Conversation as a way of sharing prayer concerns.
You will need a small jar of olive oil and a small jar with sand or small pebbles inside.
The sand represents areas of struggle, difficulty, or discomfort, either related to the week’s
Conversation theme, or related to something going on in each participant’s life. To help the group
understand the sand metaphor, compare the feeling to getting sand or pebbles in your shoe and
trying to walk around. We would want to remove the physical discomfort by taking off our shoe
and shaking out the irritating substance. In this Community Builder, we are doing that same kind
of thing by talking about our area of struggle or irritation and sharing it with a group of people
we have come to trust.
The oil is a biblical symbol of healing, which is a way to invite participants to share about
an area in their life where healing has taken place, where a struggle has been resolved (such as a
fear or a question), where something broken has been repaired (such as a relationship), or where
confusion or uncertainty has been replaced with a new and more complete understanding.
Participants will pass the jars around and choose one to illustrate what they want to share.
(I once saw a student choose both to represent an “in-between” situation, something he was both
struggling with and growing through in his life. He aptly called this option soil.)
Pockets: Ask participants to find three things in their pockets (or on their person, such as
jewelry). Take turns explaining why you have those items and what they mean to you. This
activity can elicit responses that are funny, serious, and everything in between. It becomes a way
to get to know other participants better—their habits, personalities, and passions. Example: “In
my wallet, I have photos, several fortune cookie fortunes, and a coffee-club card. The photos
remind me of my loved ones; I keep interesting fortunes to encourage or amuse me, and I need
the coffee card because I use it every day!”