The last week before school let out for Christmas we decided to deviate from our usual worship and small groups. Instead we set up Advent Prayer stations for our youth to participate in.
It took us about 3 hours to set up all of the stations in our youth center. That evening we had the youth gather in another room for dinner and to begin the night. After we ate, we sang one song and then I let groups go one at a time into where the prayer stations were set up.
It always amazes me how well the students do, how much time they take, and how thoughtfully and prayerfully they consider each station. I give them no order, the only instructions are to participate through as many as they need, as long as they need, as many times as they need.
We allowed around an hour and 15 minutes for everyone to do the stations. They were instructed to return to the main room and talk, play games, and hang out once they were done. Not one of our 6-12 grade students spent less than 45 minutes at the stations.
When I searched for station ideas there were several sites which used the same basic stations. I have included those sites below. Here are a few of the ones we used. The sites with all the station ideas are listed at the bottom of this post.
1 – Baggage – Set up a table with pieces of paper, small rocks and a luggage bag or suitcase. Have youth write down things that weigh them down even in this time of joy. Have them place those in the bag and place a rock on top to remind them that God can take those burdens and sorrows
2 – Connecting – Set up a table with a nativity scene, paper, scissors, crayons and a Bible open to the Nativity story. After reading the story have the youth think about a character in the scene they identify with. Then have them create their own character out of paper and place it in the nativity story.
3. Ornaments – (This was our original one not found on the sites below) Set out a table with craft supplies, paper, glue, sticks, yarn etc… Set up a Christmas tree
“Christmas is a time of Joy., It is a time when we celebrate the beauty, majesty and creativity that is Christmas. Create an ornament that symbolizes what you find joy in a Christmas time. Place that ornament on the tree so we can share our joy with others.”
If you have not tried using prayer stations I encourage you to do so. It is awesome to see what happens when there is no screens, or scripts, or sermons, or songs, just opportunities to reflect on our relationship with God and others. For more general topic stations check out 9 prayer station ideas for youth ministry we used to begin the semester. Also see our series of 11 Good Friday Prayer Station Ideas
Prayer station ideas used from the following:
Alaska Youth Ministries – Advent Prayer Stations
Steal our Stuff – Advent Prayer Stations
Rethinking Youth Minsitry: ADVENT ’09 Ideas for Youth Ministry #2: Prayer Stations
Pinterest – Advent Prayer Station Ideas
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