Homeless Lock-in We did a UMYF lesson the week before this lock-in. The pictures are here. The night's message is entitled, "What's In It for Me?" We discussed the issues of Homelessness. Needed: Tons of cardboard boxes (find the big ones at furniture stores), tape, 3 half Pool Noodles, sponsor packets, post-able youth schedules, new clean trash can, news papers, 3 flashlights, 15 "No Place to Call Home" worksheets, pens, charcoal grill, 50 lbs of charcoal 100 hot dogs, 5 loves of bread, cookie dough - enough for about 48, and baking sheets, print 60 homeless clue bucks     9:00 Give Me Shelter Get in groups of no more than 8 and make cardboard shelters in the gym.   10:00 Lock-in RULES * Go back to basics or go home - Turn your cell off. You don't have any other friends beside the ones here tonight and your parents are glad to get rid of you. They aren't calling. Don't use your phone for a light. * No swearing/profanity - Believe it or not this category includes inappropriate sexual discussions * No "extra curricular" activities permitted - For example, no sucking face with anyone. * No roughhousing - Yes, this includes keeping someone else's property from them by force, sneaky-ness or running away from them.  * Do not leave the Church - If the area you are in is not climate controlled you are outside the church. * No cheating - If you are looking for a way around a rule, you are probably about to cheat and had best not attempt any deviations until you reach saint hood. * Snacks and drinks are allowed in the Youth Center and the Gym only - No snacks in the shelters. If you are in transit between these two locations you may not eat or drink. * Do not open locked doors - If you have to do anything to a door that is more than just gently opening it, you are probably attempting to open a locked door. * Stay out of the rafters and organ loft & Respect the church property - If you have to climb to get where you want to go and then you feel yourself having to balance on a beam high above the floor, chances are you are in the rafters. * Sleep only in designated sleeping rooms. - No hiding, food or drink in designated sleeping rooms or shelters. * Do not destroy, tamper with or set fire to any homeless shelter - Do not play with fire in any way. WHY do I have to even say this?    Expectations are as follows: * Participate as you can * Respect others * Listen * Clean up after yourself * If you would rather sit out or go to sleep, let me know where you are going and what you are doing. * The leader may randomly unlock a door from time to time. * Have a Blast     10:15 Rock, Newspaper, Scissors 3 key items used by the homeless This game can be played any number of rounds, depending on how much time is available, and works for any number of kids above 4-5 works indoors or outdoors. Create two approximately equal sized teams, line the kids up in 2 rows across from each other, about as far apart so as their outstretched hands can just touch. Identify a home base/safe zone about 20 feet behind each team. Each team by consensus secretly chooses to be Rock, Newspaper or Scissors. On the count of three, both teams shout out their identity.  If on the winning side youth try to tag the losers before they make it back to home.  Any so tagged join the winning side, and the next round begins...  each team again selects an identity, lines up and 1,2,3... The number of players on each team thus ebbs and flows, and in the end, every player may end up on the winning team!   10:45 On the Streets Make the best of it in the church Courtyard.   11:00 Change of Fortune Youth & Activity Center, free time   11:30 Give Me Shelter Work on and stay in cardboard shelters in the gym. Set out a new clean trash can with anything the youth brought in it. Place newspaper and other clean "trash" in it as well.   12:00 On Your Own Your shelter buddies are challenged to come up with a game for the entire group to play in the gym using only the materials at hand. This was one of the funnest parts of the night! * One group came up with U-Turn death Chairs! It's musical chairs with the chairs facing inward. * Another group came up with Duck, Duck, Goose but called it Bum, Bum, Homeless (recognizing we need to love both). They added a twist instead of just one person being it they built to 4 "its" and had them go in opposite directions. Lots of mayhem insued! * We also played several circle and hand games. Start the charcoal grill in the court yard.    1:00 Give Me Shelter As a small "Shelter" group fill out the "No Place to Call Home" worksheet together. No Place to Call Home 1. What is your most common reaction to homelessness? When I see a homeless person on the street, I feel- __ Afraid __ Indifferent __ Angry __ Sympathetic __ Disgusted __ Annoyed __ Strange __ Helpless __ Confused __ Offended __ Content __ Superior   2. Who are most homeless people? Check your top three answers. __ Mentally ill people __ Criminals __ Elderly people __ Poor people __ Minorities __ Families __ Alcoholics __ Runaway teens __ Lazy bums __ Unemployed people __ Physically disabled people __ Drug addicts __ Single-parent families   3. What do you think these statements-do you A (agree) or D (disagree)? * Most Christians don't care to help the homeless. * The homeless have serious disabilities that keep them homeless. * Homeless people don't want to help themselves.  * Homelessness exists because of a lack of housing. * There's nothing that can be done to help the homeless. * If Christians don't help the homeless, no one will.  * Homelessness is the government's problem. * The homeless must learn to fend for themselves. * Churches could do more to help the homeless.   4. On the scale below, indicate to what degree you are different from or similar to homeless people. Very similar_______________________ Not the same at all   1:15 On the Streets Make the best of it in the church Courtyard. Keep your worksheet as a pass for your group to get back inside. Cook hot dogs and use the bread.   1:45 What's In It for Me? Lesson in the Youth Center  Begin by discussing the "No Place to Call Home" worksheet. Say: The Bible affirms the existence of God. It also tells us what He wants us to do. His chief desire is that we love Him even more than we love the good things that God gives and does for us. We must acknowledge Him as Lord, the only true God. To love the Lord with all your heart and soul and mind is to have "no other gods before" God. That's not so easy for some one who has all their basic needs and more. But, what motivation would a homeless person have to believe in God? They seem to have nothing to show for their lives. The following example comes from someone who was not homeless as over heard in the local diner, "I've gone to church for 30 years now, and in that time I have heard something like 3,000 sermons. But for the life of me, I can't remember a single one of them. So, I think I'm wasting my time and the pastors are wasting theirs by giving sermons at all."   ASK: * How many homeless people have you seen in church? * If you were homeless would you go to church? * Is your personal well being more important than your spiritual connections? * Do you need shelter more than you need the Church? * Why do you think the person who has gone to church for 30 years can't remember a single sermon? * Is the point of going to church to remember sermons and bible verses? * What do you get out of going to church? (Don't except "nothing". Dig for something positive, i.e. fellowship, time to organize my thoughts, making my parents happy, etc.)   Say: An old farmer stepped up and said, "I've been married for 30 years now. In that time my wife has cooked some 32,000 meals for me. But for the life of me, I cannot recall the entire menu for a single one of those meals.  I can barely remember what we had for breakfast. But I do know this: They all nourished me and gave me the strength I needed to do my work. If my wife had not given me these meals, I would be physically dead today. Likewise, if I had not gone to church for nourishment, I would be spiritually dead." The old farmer new that faith was the first step, the first thing that needed to happen, even before he sat down for breakfast that morning; even before he put on his boots; even before he woke from his bed in the home he had lived in since his childhood. Faith sees the invisible, believes the incredible, receives the unworthy and keeps God first in your life!   ASK: * Does God have influence in the lives of those who don't believe in him? Why or why not? * If Jesus walked among us today, how would he help the homeless? * Do you think there were homeless people when Jesus walked the Earth? Explain. * How do you balance humility and success? * What would happen to a homeless person if they died without knowing God? * Why live for Jesus as a teenager when you could do what ever you want now and care about other people later. * What does it mean to be open-minded? Are there limits? Explain. * What causes your relationship with God to go stale?   2:30 Safe Haven (A.K.A. Underground Church) UNDERGROUND CHURCH has been a tradition for the youth of West Heights for many years.  It's a mix of tag-hide-and-go-seek-sardines-in-the-dark.  For this version: * The players are: the Safe Haven, the Homeless, and the Spoilers. * The Safe Haven becomes the Spoilers for the next round. * The "Spoilers" carry half pool noodles and flashlights at all times. * If the Homeless are in a group the Spoiler can take two at a time. * The Safe Haven needs 12 new members in order to be a blessing!   The Game The "Safe Haven" (a group of three) is given a set amount of time to go and hide. The Safe Haven must become the "Spoilers" for the next round. The Spoilers try to keep the church from growing. If a Spoiler tags a "Homeless" the Spoiler and the Homeless must go to the jail. If the Homeless are in a group a Spoiler can take two at a time to jail. Homeless may not resist. The jail is the court yard and a Spoiler can throw a Homeless out at any door that goes to the court yard. The Homeless must then find the open door choosing from 13. The open door will change from time to time.  The Homeless try to find the Safe Haven without being tagged by the Spoilers or giving away where the Safe Haven is. If a Spoiler finds the Safe Haven the round is over, Spoilers win. But, if the Safe Haven has 12 new Homeless the Safe Haven becomes a blessing and wins.    4:00 On the Streets Make the best of it in the church Courtyard. Let the youth find the cookie dough and baking sheets. No eating raw dough, they must try to grill the cookies. (This actually worked! We kept the pans from direct heat by scraping the coals to one side. COOL!)   4:30 Find the Youth Dude  Have youth stay in their homeless shelters as a group and set a different "Clue Buck" (A made up buck with a clue on the back) at their door. After all the groups have a clue at their door, call "Go" to start the game. The youth then figure out the clues, they must stay as a group to search the church building to find the item their clue describes then find the Youth Dude. When they find the Youth Dude he'll give them a new "Clue Buck". The team with the most bucks wins. Youth Dude shuffles all the Clue Bucks together; about 60 total, and passes them out randomly as groups find him. It doesn't matter if they have done it before. If they get the same clue they must replace the item they currently have where it was and bring a new one or return to their shelter then begin again which ever applies for the clue buck in question. No scouting the Youth Dude. All teams must stay together. Throw away trash items and but back other things you find to bring to the Youth Dude. Destroying, not returning or hiding items to prevent other teams from finding them is forbidden. A hint will cost you the buck. Tip: don't make a commotion when you find Kris, you'll be tipping other teams off as to where he is.   1. A promise they broke led to demise  Adam and Eve kicked out for their lies  An object of nature for clothing did try Check out the courtyard now shriveled and dry A= Leaf   2. It's value not much  Always less than a buck A jingle it makes  Any one I'll take A= Any Coin   3. Use me not once and share with a friend Do it not once but over again. The more times it dries the wetter it is Solve this riddle maybe wipe up some fizz A= A towel   4. I have a tongue that makes not a sound I'm not in a face near the floor I'm found A= The tongue of a shoe   5. Constantly collide into the others;  I'm one of many, 16 in colors. Associated with English and banking and breaking, Cue up the answer right there for the taking. A= Any pool ball   6. I live above a star, and yet I never burn, I have eleven close neighbors, and yet none of them turn, I am visited in sequence, first, last or in between,  PQRS are my initials, Now, show Youth Dude what I mean. A= The 7 button on a phone key pad   7. A potato's key tool, it has all the power. It's generally used on the half or full hour. If my cells were deceased or lost or the such, My partner would only respond to your touch. A= A remote controler   8. Filled to the top with water that's cold There better be more than half left In the glass Kris beholds A= Just bring me a nice cold glass of water!   9. What has rivers but no water  Cities but no buildings Forests but no trees Deserts but no sand Mountains but no rocks?  A= A map - Church maps, map in the back of the Bible   10. Eating white is what I mostly do If quick enough, a fruit and some things blue When you see pink, sky blue, orange, or red It would be wise to turn my yellow head In a dark room with blue walls I run from the ghosts that roam the halls What am I? Pantomime it for the Youth Dude A= The group pantomimes Pac Man for me!   6:00 Change of Fortune Youth & Activity Center, free time   6:30 Clean Up and Tear Down Take all card board to the trash and help clean up the church.   7:00 Go Home