Finding Time for God

• Becky Roach, writing for Youth Worker, notes that teens' lives can become packed full of schoolwork, part-time jobs and socializing. She believes this is a good thing in some respects but noted how it has the negative effect of taking away time that could be spent with God. She suggests asking teenagers to bring in pillows to Sunday school and then telling them to make a list of all they have done in the week. The student who has done the most things could be given a small prize. Now teachers should ask the teens to lie on their pillows and look up at the celling. With the lights turned off, the teacher should project images onto the ceiling while playing some fitting music. The idea is to help students to make the transition from noise and busyness to calm and quietness. Start with images of loud situations like traffic jams and end on pictures of peaceful scenery. A period of silence should follow in which students have the time to reflect and "hear God speak to them," she continues, recommending that teachers go on to give practical advice about how kids can integrate time alone with God into their everyday routines.
  
  

Giving up Sadness for Lent

• Most students will understand that Lent is a time when Christians make a sacrifice. A lot of teenagers may choose to give up chocolate for Lent or another product or activity that they enjoy. But there is another approach to this time of the year that may be more meaningful to young people and help them learn about being a good Christian. Author of the book "Not the Same Done-It-Before Youth Meetings" Tim Ferguson explains on his website that students can be encouraged to give up negative attitudes and emotions for Lent. Some of the examples of things teenagers could attempt to wipe out include jealousy, anger, pessimism and worry. The teenage years are renowned for being a time of angst for many young people so this activity, which aims to help kids understand godly love as it is described in scripture. Ask students when Lent ends whether they kept to their promises and how doing so affected their lives. For example, you could ask about how giving up jealousy or anger has impacted on their relationships with others.
  
  

Looking After God's Earth

• One of the large issues today's teenagers are facing is the problem of climate change. Worries about global warming are driving campaigns to get people to recycle their waste and reduce their carbon footprint, activities that may become part of everyday life for the next generation. The New Community Project (NCP), a faith-based nonprofit organization, suggests teaching Sunday school students about looking after the planet. The body states that the amount of food and energy wasted by the U.S. is "adding insult to injury for God's earth." The NCP suggests taking teenagers outside for a lesson, if possible, and speak to them about the damage that is being done to the world through human behavior. Among the activities the body recommended to teach young people about the issue of waste is one in which teens are split into groups and given a pitcher of water. One of the youths takes the jug and shares the drink around the group, doling it out into cups. They are then asked to consider whether they did this fairly. For example, ask if they felt responsible for making sure everybody got enough water and how they decided how much to save for themselves. Encourage the teenagers to discuss if one can have too many possessions and how they feel about wasting food and energy.
  
  

Discussing the News

• There are many issues that come up in the news that have a moral angle. Teenagers may be pleased to be asked about what may be considered adult issues as many young people crave independence and to be treated like a grown-up. Amy Lee wrote in an article for Youth Worker some ideas for discussing the morning-after-pill with Sunday school students. This may be an issue that is important to teenagers, who may be one of the age groups most likely to need education on pregnancy and contraception. Ms. Lee suggests asking the group questions, such as what moral issues students feel are tied up in certain news events. She advised that allowing kids to write their answers down anonymously could be helpful with sensitive subjects that they may not want to talk about out loud. It may, however, be helpful to have a group discussion about items in the news that are often the source of debate. Issues including abortion, gay rights and feminism are often hot topics, and discussing these sensibly may be a good way to allow young people to decide where they stand. Many people of the same faith can disagree on certain issues as the Bible can be interpreted in a lot of different ways, and this could be one of the lessons teenagers learn through this activity.