human Formation Community-Building Activities Never Have I Ever! Objective: Teens will experience something new together as they learn to explore and be open to new experiences in their lives, which will also build unity in your group. Scripture Reference: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23 Catechism Reference: Faith makes us taste in advance the light of the beatific vision, the goal of our journey here below. Then we shall see God face to face, as he is. So faith is already the beginning of eternal life: When we contemplate the blessings of faith even now, as if gazing at a reflection in the mirror, it is as if we already possessed the wonderful things which our faith assures us we shall one day enjoy. CCC 163 2013 Augustine Institute. All rights reserved. 1
Session Snapshot Review the entire lesson plan in advance so you are prepared to lead and discuss comfortably. Gather necessary supplies and review any songs or video clips prior to your gathering. Adjust the suggested time allotments as necessary. Time Session Session Overview 10 minutes Dig In Open your time together with a thoughtprovoking activity which will introduce the theme of new experiences and facing the unknown. 10 minutes Plant Seeds Begin with Scripture and prayer. 60 minutes Sink Roots Teens play games and enjoy fellowship as followers of Christ. 10 minutes Live It Teens will share their reflections from this session and discuss the importance of fellowship as followers of Christ. 5 minutes Closing Prayer Group members will share prayer intentions about having the victory of Christ in their lives. 2013 Augustine Institute. All rights reserved. 2
Supplies Needed: A gadget that this generation of kids has not tried, such as a cassette tape and player, a rotary phone, a Polaroid camera, or an Atari game system Conversation Starter Questions for each leader Teen Pages Parent Pages Text, tweet and/or update your group s Facebook page to remind the teens about the gathering. Use a message something like this: Never say never! Come to our youth event night to experience something new with your friends. United we re strong! United we re better! There s a first 4 everything! C u @ [date and time] for a new adventure. Let s face the unknown 2gether! Choose an activity in advance that no one in your group has experienced before. Some ideas include having a progressive dinner at homes, baking an unknown dish, car repair class, fishing, fruit picking, attending a play or musical, going out into the community to conduct video interviews with people and asking them what new experience they would like to try, or taking a painting class. Get creative, and be sure to choose an activity that everyone can experience together. Make sure you plan ahead with transportation, release forms, and volunteers to help with your event. 2013 Augustine Institute. All rights reserved. 3
Dig In Never Have I Ever! SAY: Today we re going together experience something new. To introduce our theme for today, we re going to play a quick round of Never Have I Ever! Let s go around the circle and have each person share by starting with the phrase, Never have I ever and then name something that they ve never done before. For example, I might say, Never have I ever ridden on a donkey. Go around the circle once or twice. SAY: There are a lot of things that we haven t experienced in our lives some of those things we have hopes to one day try, while others are things that we hope we never have to encounter. No matter what we experience in life, we can be confident that God is with us in everything we do the everyday tasks as well as the never-beforeexperienced adventures. New Again SAY: I ve got something here today that may be totally new to many of you but a lot of the adults here in the room probably remember when this gadget was originally a new thing! Show the gadget you brought. Allow volunteers to try out the gadget if possible. SAY: There was a time when this gadget was the new and happening thing. People were even hesitant to try it or use it because it was unfamiliar and they were fearful of understanding how to use it. But once people tried it, this gadget became a staple of a generation, much like your cell phone is now a staple of this generation. Even though this gadget may be new for you, it s actually old school for many adults. Trying new things can be exciting, but it can also result in resistance because it s not always easy to try new things. Maybe you re thinking about trying something new in your life right now. Today, we re going to have a new experience together. But first, take a few minutes and discuss these questions with a partner: What are you most excited about in your life right now? How do you feel about experiencing something new? Allow 2-3 minutes for discussion. 2013 Augustine Institute. All rights reserved. 4
Plant Seeds SAY: Before we begin, let's open our time together with prayer. You may choose to read this prayer as the leader, or ask for a volunteer in advance to read the prayer. Ask one of your teens to read from Lamentations 3:22-23: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness. Say: Beginning anew each day is the amazing gift of grace we get to experience when we belong to Jesus. Trying something new can spark emotions all the way from excited to frightened. Today, we re going to experience something new together and learn that when we face the unknown, we can be confident that Jesus and our brothers and sisters in Christ are there to support and guide us along the way. Father, thank you for this opportunity to experience something new together. Lord, open our hearts to receive all that you want to give us today. Fill us with your joy, protect us, and continue to bind us together as one. In Christ s name, Amen. Sink Roots Depart for your new experience activity as a group. Make sure your end time includes at least 15 minutes for the Live It! activity and closing prayer. Consider having conversation starter questions that leaders can use to prompt discussion with teens as you drive to your destination. Use questions such as these: If you could be any animal, what would it be and why? What is your favorite movie and why? If you could create your own ice cream flavor, what would the ingredients be and what would you name the flavor? Choose one: ocean or mountains. Now explain your choice. If you could go back in time, what time period would you travel to and why? 2013 Augustine Institute. All rights reserved. 5
Live It! SAY: What a great experience especially because we all got to try something new together! Trying something new is always exciting, especially when we can experience with others. As we close our time together, let s review the Catechism Reference for today: Faith makes us taste in advance the light of the beatific vision, the goal of our journey here below. Then we shall see God face to face, as he is. So faith is already the beginning of eternal life: When we contemplate the blessings of faith even now, as if gazing at a reflection in the mirror, it is as if we already possessed the wonderful things which our faith assures us we shall one day enjoy. CCC 163 SAY: Our faith takes us on an incredible journey, one that we can be confident is preparing us for an eternity with Christ. What an amazing NEW experience that will one day be when we meet Jesus face-to-face! God uses new experiences to help us grow as individuals, draw us closer to Him, and help us learn to be open to the support and encouragement of others. Let s take some time to answer the questions found on your Teen Pages. First consider and write down your responses; then share your thoughts with your group. What surprised you the most about the new experience you tried today? Why can it be beneficial to experience something new with another person or group of people? How can new experiences help you to grow in your faith? How can new experiences help you grow in your relationship with others? What are one or two things you d like to experience for the first time in the next year? 2013 Augustine Institute. All rights reserved. 6
Closing Prayer SAY: Just like you had a new experience tonight, each day we have the opportunity to experience God s love and compassion like it was the first time. Lamentations 3:22 23 says, The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness. Let us try to live each day freely, knowing that we are loved and forgiven by God. Let s close our time together in prayer. PRAY: Lord, thank you for the opportunity to experience something new together. Thank you for your love and faithfulness in our lives. Each day may we continue to grow in receiving your love and compassion. Amen. Contributor Information Chris Bartlett is a loving husband and father of three girls. He is the director of youth ministry at St. William Catholic Church near Austin, Texas. Find Chris at YDisciple.org. 2013 Augustine Institute. All rights reserved. 7
Teen sheet Never Have I Ever This session is designed to help us discover that sharing new experiences can help us grow in unity and relationship with others and in our faith. As you participate in this study, use these points to guide you. Add your own notes, observations, or questions in the space below each point. If images or symbols come to mind, include them as a way to help you process and remember the key take-aways from this session. What are you most excited about in your life right now? How do you feel about experiencing something new? Q 2 : Quotes and Questions The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23 2013 Augustine Institute. All rights reserved. 1
Experiencing something new can be both exciting and frightening, all at the same time. God wants us to try new things and put our faith and trust in Him. As you think about new experiences in the upcoming week, reflect on these questions: What surprised you the most about the new experience you tried today? Why can it be beneficial to experience something new with another person or a group of people? How can new experiences help you grow in your faith? How can new experiences help you grow in your relationship with others? What are one or two things you d like to experience for the first time in the next year? Q 2 : Quotes and Questions We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths. Walt Disney 2013 Augustine Institute. All rights reserved. 2
As you embark on new adventures and try new things, remember that God makes all things new each and every day. Pray this Prayer of New Beginnings daily as a reminder of God s goodness and hand in all that we do: God of new beginnings, we are walking into mystery. We face the future, not knowing what the days and months will bring us or how we will respond. Be love in us as we journey. May we welcome all who come our way. Deepen our faith to see all life through your eyes. Fill us with hope and an abiding trust that You dwell in us amidst all our joys and sorrows. Thank You for the treasure of our faith life. Thank You for the gift of being able to rise each day with the assurance of Your walking through the day with us. God of our past and future, we praise you. AMEN. 2013 Augustine Institute. All rights reserved. 3
Here are some ideas to help you put into practice what you ve learned this week: Team Up: Find a friend and try something new together this week. It could be anything from a new food item to a new sport. Afterward, talk about your experience over coffee or tea and commit to trying something new every week for the rest of the year. Pay It Forward: Consider providing a new experience for someone else. Do something nice for someone else without any expectation of kindness being returned such as giving free show tickets to a stranger, leaving coupons at the grocery store, or making a music mix for a new kid at school. Your new outlook on spreading kindness may significantly touch the heart of another. Create a Bucket List: What are some of the new things you d like to try in the upcoming year? Create a list and set goal dates to accomplish them. Pray that God will provide you with the courage to do new things and the people who can partner with you and encourage you as you learn to trust and have faith. Q 2 : Quotes and Questions You miss 100 percent of the shots you don t take. Wayne Gretzky 2013 Augustine Institute. All rights reserved. 4
parent sheet Never Have I Ever Parents, we invite you to use this overview to continue the conversation that we started this week with your teen. And we encourage you to respond to the questions as well, so your teen can see that God is working through you also. What We re Talking About When we experience something new, we often go through a range of emotions: anticipation, fear, joy, doubt, excitement, dread. New experiences typically provide us with an opportunity for growth regardless of the outcome. In this session, your teen tried something new and learned that experiencing new things can be more enjoyable when done with others. As they explored new territory, teens discovered that life is filled with new adventures that challenge us and help us to grow in our faith. The journey we re on is one that is preparing us for the NEW experience we ll have when we meet Jesus face to face. Make the Connection Here are some conversation starters for this week. Remember to share your perspectives as well: Describe a new experience you had recently. How did it make you feel? What emotions did you experience? What is something you d like to experience for the first time in the near future? How can new experiences be better when experienced with other people? As a family, what are some new experiences you d like to tackle in the upcoming year? Q 2 : Quotes and Questions We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face we must do that which we think we cannot. Eleanor Roosevelt 2013 Augustine Institute. All rights reserved.