Comments on: Do you remember your most classic youth ministry moments?

By: Michelle Smithheart

Michelle Smithheart — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 18:29:21 +0000

We decided to take our youth to a local military base to go ice skating. They apparently had found a roll of duct tape in the church van….when we pulled up to the security checkpoint the security guard looked into the back of the van and gave me a very concerned look. When I turned around, there were my precious teenagers with their hands and mouths duct taped mumbling “help me…help me!” Thank goodness our security guard had a sense of humor!! I will NEVER forget that!

By: Jason

Jason — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 23:04:13 +0000

A few years back at a D-Now weekend we had a soda drinking contest: 60 seconds to drink as much Code Red Mtn Dew as possible. In the finals, as you would guess, a student “returned” the Dew as fast as he had consumed the Dew. Classic blowing chunks story.

What was amazing? One of my freshman immediately grabbed towels and a bucket and mopped it up – everyone was stunned. An amazing display of the spiritual gift of Service at work (and a pretty cool projectile vomitting story).

By: Brett Ayers

Brett Ayers — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 18:44:59 +0000

In one of our high school small groups we were memorizing I Timothy 4:12. One of the guys was so proud that he could memorize God’s Word that he wanted to quote the scripture back to me. He said, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in… puberty”, instead of purity. He said it so confidently and that made it even funnier. He laughed once he realized what he said. Later I was hit with how right on target his little mistake really was.

By: Jonathan Hale

Jonathan Hale — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 03:50:21 +0000

oh, by the way, we were pushing the bus out of the way into a yard that the officer decided to commandeer.

By: Jonathan Hale

Jonathan Hale — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 03:47:57 +0000

there are so many memories i’ve made over the years in youth ministry, and there are a lot of fun, cooky things (like freezing mayonnaise, putting chocolate syrup & sprinkles on top, then telling the youth it’s ice cream… it had a good point, but the process of making the point was PRICELESS), but probably one of the top crazy things was the time our bus broke down on my first trip with my new youth group in a not-so-good neighborhood in the middle of the small street. i didn’t know what to to do, so i called 911 (definitely didn’t know who else to call)! my youth leaders made fun of me for months. they told me i should have just called the chairman of the bus committee, but i didn’t know there was one! the police came with flashing blue lights behind our church bus and i was spread out on the front of the bus (which was in neutral by this time) about to push with the officer. it was so crazy! but hey– at least i wasn’t being frisked!

By: Shan Smith

Shan Smith — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 21:08:43 +0000

Baptizing an Ogre
One of the more memorable experience as a Youth Pastor occurred by baptizing, not an Ogre, but the Ogre. As the name might imply, Ogre was a 6’5” muscular wrestler that accepted Christ as Savior following an International Wrestling Tour that ended in Turkey. Ogre’s shoulders were as wide as the baptismal, and his height stretched longer than the space provided. I was fine until, “I baptize you brother in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit” where Ogre hit his head on the end wall after I dropped him. The matter got worse when I vocalized a deep “Ugh” sound, and portrayed a red-faced strain during “buried in likeness and raised in newness of life.” The experience ended with congregational gasps and laughs, as Ogre splashed water over the front wall while standing to his feet and holding his head. I praise the Lord I am living today to tell of this joyous celebration!

By: Rick Chromey

Rick Chromey — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 15:41:28 +0000

Once I decided to shave 10 minutes off a 10 hour trip to a youth conference and left the church grounds earlier than planned. About two hours down the road I dreadfully realized we didn’t have “Susan.”

Finding the first payphone (no cells back then), I called the church and learned Susan had arrived only minutes after we left. The preacher, in an attempt to save his youth intern from the wrath of Mom, was in hot pursuit. Unfortunately, I also didn’t inform anyone of our route and he was over2 hours off course. We finally connected several phone calls, miles and hours later.

Consequently, my 10 minute decision cost us 3 hours and a late arrival.

By: Vincent Weimer

Vincent Weimer — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 15:23:16 +0000

It is ironic that this question was posted this week. This past Sunday we started our series entitled “Keys to the Kingdom”. Our first lesson was on Salvation and how you can’t do this on your own. The activity for the day involved everyone receiving a balloon and then they were challenged to inflate the balloon without using their lungs.

One of our teens, will call her Jane, immediately got up and went to the sink to fill her balloon with water. Several others followed and the discussion ensued as to who had the bigger water balloon. As we were taking prayer requests, Jane was rolling her balloon around in her hands and the balloon burst sending all the water straight onto her lap. It was hilarious and after a few minutes of drying off, even Jane started laughing.

By: Chris Bartley

Chris Bartley — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 14:59:44 +0000

We hosted the band StorysideB for three nights, three seterate shows, all acoustic. During the show they had aquestion and answer portion and people asked all sorts of questions. One was from an older man and he said, “You played all that stuff, now play somthing for the older folks. Play that song We Are The World.” The band laughed and tried to move on but he was serious and that made it even more funny. So they sang We Are The World while the students were rolling in the floor laughing.
You never know what someone will ask.

By: Jon Batch

Jon Batch — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 14:04:43 +0000

A memorable moment for me, the first ever winter retreat we brought students to while serving in a church in Michigan was awesome, since we were staying in train cabins (yes they were rain cars) and one night it was -40 degrees with the windchill and our heater went out.. needless to say we enjoyed the high temps of 1 degree while playing broomball.