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October 02nd, 2024

10/2/2024

* THIS POST CONTAINS BOTH AFFILIATE AND PRODUCT LINKS,
ALONG WITH LINKS TO THIRD PARTY WEBSITES AND VIDEOS MENTIONED IN THE POST.*

It's one of my favorite games for the Halloween/Fall season. It's a little messy, a little gross, and a whole lot of fun! Pumpkin Puzzles! Easy to prep. Easy to play. And so much fun to watch.

The Halloween season can be a fun time with Halloween and Fall themed games. This month of October, we are bringing in the seasonal fun with games that use some of the items we think about when we think Fall.

One of the first games is one that I came up with a number of years ago. I was planning a pumpkin themed costume party for our students. I wanted every game to utilize a pumpkin ins some way. I surfed the internet for ideas, but I could find enough game ideas that would fill our time or involved more than simply smashing, rolling, or pitching. So I cleared my desk and just started thinking.

After a little while, I came up with the idea of the Pumpkin Puzzle. Now I'm not going to say that I originated the game, but until we actually played the game, I had never heard of it nor seen anyone else play it.

The game itself is simple; assemble a large pumpkin that has been cut into multiple pieces. Easy, right? May be not.

Here's how to set up for the game.

1. Get Your Pumpkins

You're going to need a number of large, jack-o-lantern style pumpkins that are approximately all the similar sizes. In the Fall, pumpkins are in ample supply. Just run to your grocer or local farm. I purchased my pumpkins at Aldi's for about $3.00 each. Since this game is best played with teams, be sure to have one pumpkin per team.

Before the students arrive, cut the pumpkins up into puzzle-like pieces with unique angle or Tetris-like features. Don't make the cuts too small or intricate. You might find the pumpkin difficult to take a part and reassemble. keep track of how many pieces you cut so that each pumpkin has the same number of pieces to reassemble with. Don't worry about the contents, they can stay adding a gross, slimy aspect to the game.

Note: to help with set up and clean up, I covered the tables with plastic table clothes and used hard plastic trays for the pumpkins. If you are on carpet, you might want to put down drop clothe to keep the deacons happy.

2. The Game

Divide your students into teams. Have each pumpkin on it's own table or space on the floor. Each team must reassemble their pumpkin as quickly as possible. You can give them a time limit or just let them go. That all depends on your time schedule. Once the teams are in place, shout go and let the students have at it!

To help hold the pumpkins together, provide each team with a healthy stack of sturdy tooth picks or cut skewers. I use tooth picks because they are super inexpensive.

The first team to assemble their pumpkin is the winning team!

Set up for this game is pretty easy. I think it took me 15-20 minutes to cut up four large pumpkins into 11 piece each. Just have a sharp knife on hand to cut through the pumpkin skin. to give your students an incentive to complete the task, award the winning team with a prize like Reese's Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter pumpkins, or Bach's Pumpkin Candies!

Clean up is fairly easy as well. If you cover the tables with plastic, simply roll everything up in the plastic and put it into a trash bag. But don't leave the trash in your building. Make sure it reaches a dumpster. You don't want the pumpkins rotting and smelling up the church or your youth room.

Here's a short video our my students playing Pumpkin Puzzles!

Click to Watch More Videos

If you decide to play the game, let me know what you think! How did it go? What did you learn? Any fun variation you created? Share in the comments below! And thanks for reading the blog! There are plenty more ideas, games, resources, and content coming in the future! And, subscribe to the YouTube channel for more videos and content for your youth ministry!

- jay

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Something is Missing

11/13/2023

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* THIS POST CONTAINS BOTH AFFILIATE AND PRODUCT LINKS,
ALONG WITH LINKS TO THIRD PARTY WEBSITES MENTIONED IN THE POST.*

Since 1999, this week has been a special week. It would begin on Sunday evening. I would lead our Sunday night student ministry gathering, which was also our last youth gathering until Advent Sunday, and wish our students a 'Happy Thanksgiving.' I'd go home, rest and celebrate what God was doing with our students. Monday I would wake, head into the office, run through my To Do List, and clean things up in the office. Mid afternoon I would head home top finish packing and getting ready to go away.

It was the highlight of my year. I looked forward to it every year. It was a staple on my personal and ministry calendar. It was the same week every year. And I couldn't wait for it to arrive. It was the National Youth Workers Convention (NYWC).

From 1999 to 2007, I was an attendee. For 8 years I sat through workshops, seminars, general session speakers, intensives, breakouts, and roundtables. I walked the exhibit hall countless times. I enjoyed the concerts and special activities provided. And I shopped the Convention store, browsing the abundance of resources made available.

Thousands of youth workers filled the various convention centers, hotels, coffee shops, and restaurants of the host city. There was a familiarity; a sense of homecoming as like-minded men and women gathered for a weekend of training, inspiration, challenge, worship, and fellowship. It was one of the greatest weeks of the year.

In 2008, I made the jump from attendee to volunteer. I was in a place in my ministry where I felt that it was time to give back. I had learned so much. God had blessed our ministry. For the first time I was tapping behind the veil to serve the youth workers. For the next 10 years, I served as a volunteer working with the Seminar Team, the Big Room Team, and the HUB Team. In 2019, my wife and I joined the staff as contract employee to lead the Host Team. All total, that's 20 years of participating in one of the most impactful youth ministry events I've ever been blessed to be a part of.

But something's missing. Today would be a day of packing and getting ready. I should be wrapping up ministry in the office. I should be confirming flights, rental, and hotel room. I should praying for the thousands of youth workers I would have contact with over the next weekend. But I'm not.

It still feels a little weird, like something is missing. 2019 was the last NYWC. Like many things, NYWC was canceled during Covid. Unfortunately, it has yet to return. Now what this is not, is a gripe about the absence of NYWC. What it is, is me taking a moment to remember the significance that NYWC has had on my personal spiritual walk, my marriage and family, and my ministry.

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NYWC shaped so much of how I thought about ministry, family, and life. It taught me vital skills, practical helps, and important habits. I learned the importance of balance, connecting with other youth workers, and healthy spiritual discipleship. I learned how to connect with students, how to share the gospel with students, and how to show up when they needed it most. I learned youth ministry from youth workers.

While on staff I was fortunate to meet and get to know some amazing youth workers. Through interactions with attendees I have hundreds of amazing stories. And I hope that my story and my ministry helped to encourage others I met.

My wife and I were talking last week, and we noted how sad we are that we're not heading to NYWC this year. We really looked forward to that time away.

Will NYWC ever return? I don't know. I would like to think that maybe, someday, we might have the opportunity to serve youth workers in that way again. But, I just don't know.

What I do know is that NYWC will forever be a special memory for the both of us. And we will always be grateful for our time attending and volunteering. As for the friendships that were made while serving, I know that they will continue to develop and grow for years to come.

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Here's the thing, whether or not NYWC returns, my hope is to highlight what these conferences mean for the youth worker. Over the last couple of years I've noticed a number of "mini" conferences popping up around the country. These conferences offer youth workers a time of training and challenge, fellowship and networking, and a chance to worship together. The smaller scale usually means a more intimate setting, a smaller price tag, and the opportunity to connect with youth workers in your region.

I don't know if we've seen the last of the big conference, as there are still a few of the bigger conferences in operation. But I do like the idea of the "mini" conference. I am planning to attend a couple of these conferences in the new year, including the Northeast Youth Ministry Summit (February 2024), the Youth Leader Summit (May 2024), and the National Day of Volunteer Youth Ministry Training (September 2024).

Whether it's the big, national conference or the smaller, local conference, let me encourage you to seek out a conference that will allow you the opportunity for training and growth.

What has been your experience? Have you attended the larger conferences? What did you take away from your time of learning? Have you attended a smaller, more local conference? What were some of the major differences? What did you learn? And which will attend most like attend in the future? Share in the comments below.

- jay

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October 02nd, 2024

1. Get Your Pumpkins

2. The Game

Something is Missing

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