Category: Camp Ministry

GaGa Ball Variations

August 8, 2019

The GaGa ball pit game is becoming more and more ubiquitous as each summer camp season passes by. It’s an incredibly fun and simple game. It is like dodgeball in a pit where you hit the ball with your hands and you get out if the ball hits you on the legs or feet. Here…
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Awesome Crowd Game Ideas

February 21, 2017

I do a lot of large group events. I’m always on the lookout for games that are fun and easy for huge crowds. When people come together in large groups, there is a lot of potential energy that can be tapped in the form of socialization, laughter, competition, and shared human experiences. So here are…
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His Name Endures Forever: An Object Lesson

August 19, 2016

I’d like to share a worship response object lesson we organized at summer camp last month. It was a little risky because we had about 300 campers and it could have gotten chaotic, but the kids did great and the end result was very moving. First of all, when I say, “worship response,” I’m referring to…
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Juggling While in Motion

August 18, 2016

Last month I successfully juggled while flying down a zip line. I had tried the feat three or four times previously and I always dropped about halfway down the line. This most recent time, though, I made it the whole way (about 100 yards). Here is the video evidence, followed by some thoughts on the…
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Scripture Memory for Kids

July 8, 2016

I have an acronym for scripture memory that I use at camps: MVOTW. It stands for “Memory Verse of the Week.” You pronounce it, “muh-vah-twuh.” Kids love saying it and we put motions to the words to help us remember whatever verse we are working on. Most camps and vacation Bible schools have a theme…
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Faith Development Resources: Late Elementary

May 18, 2016

EIGHT TO TEN YEARS Adventures in Odyssey. Produced by Focus on the Family, Adventures in Odyssey is a long-running radio program that is set in the fictional mid-American town of Odyssey. Whit is the wise elder statesman of the community who helps kids figure out solutions to life’s problems through a Christian and Biblical perspective.…
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Large Group Game: Super Bible Trivia

February 12, 2016

I’ve played a fun game with large groups of kids over the years that I call “Super Bible Trivia!” This contestant-driven stage quiz game is more of a staged drama than an actual serious quiz game. But it is set up so that the kids think it is a normal quiz game at first. Don’t worry, they’ll…
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The Line Up Game

January 25, 2016

Here’s another great group game that requires ZERO set-up or materials. It’s called The Line Up Game. There are many variations to the game. This can work with any group with three or more people. You can split the group into smaller groups to compete against one another. The goal/point of the game is for…
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Lance Brown: Speed Painter

January 23, 2016

When I spoke at Mt. Lebanon Camp last summer, I got to meet someone who brought a very creative presentation to the campers on an evening in the middle of the week. After our worship service was over, we had a special program for the campers where they could wave glow sticks and wear glow-in-the-dark accessories in the…
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Is Jesus Our Superhero?

January 21, 2016

A metaphor that some people use for describing Jesus Christ is that he is our superhero. But, I feel that the metaphor (like most) breaks down here – and so much so that I am uncomfortable saying that Jesus is my superhero (and teaching kids the like). Here’s why: I believe that Jesus is beyond the…
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Large Group Game: Hot Potato Extreme

January 19, 2016

Here’s a great group game that actively involves everyone and no one gets “out.” It also involves an element of juggling that anyone can do without practice. It is like large group hot potato juggling. Here’s how it works: Have the group sit in a circle. You can do multiple circles if you want to…
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A Brain Game for Ministry

January 14, 2016

I like finding neat science tricks and visual illustrations that can be used to help communicate Biblical concepts in teaching. I found this neat brain game trick which I like to call the “curved arcs” from Steve Spangler Science. He sells the pieces I bought below. But you can also make your own and he…
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Super Easy Scripture Slides and Images

January 12, 2016

I recently stumbled upon a fast and free way to make Scripture slides for Children’s Ministry (or any other ministry, for that matter) with an array of free and attractive backgrounds. And it may already be in your phone/device. It’s built into one of the popular apps out there – the free YouVersion app of the…
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Bring Me Game Ideas

January 8, 2016

The ‘Bring Me’ game is a group activity ideal for engaging children. The leader requests random items, and the first person or group to bring the item gets a point. The game uses technology as it allows for internet-based scavenger hunt challenges. The leader needs to adapt the items according to the group’s characteristics. The…
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Overcoming Stage Fright

January 6, 2016

I performed at a company holiday banquet on Sunday night in Pennsylvania. As I was eating dinner with the owner and his family, one of his children asked me, “Do you ever get nervous before your shows?” My answer was a quick and simple, “Yes.” Then I explained a little more. Yes, I still get nervous…
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One Body, Many Parts

September 12, 2015

When I spoke at Camp Dixie last weekend, I was given the theme “Submerge,” which was focused on God’s deep love for us. As I was pondering some topics to go along with that, I learned a little bit about the creatures of the deep ocean. By the way, scientists say that we know more…
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Expect the Unexpected

July 30, 2015

I tried a new trick at Highland Lakes Camp near Austin, TX this week. I did an illustration where I tried to explain how we are weak by ourselves but when Christ is in us, we are strong (because it is no longer us, but Christ who lives in us – Galatians 2:20). I finished…
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Not Your Ordinary Vacation Bible School

June 23, 2015

Starting tomorrow, I get to share at the “Not Your Ordinary VBS” at the First United Methodist Church in Monroe, LA. My family is able to join me for this trip as well! Please come if you’re anywhere near central Louisiana. Programs are in the evenings for the next few nights and start at 6:30pm.…
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Children’s Pastors are Bible Translators

February 3, 2015

I have a great deal of respect and admiration for the people of organizations like Wycliffe or New Tribes Mission who spend decades with an indigenous group of people. learn their culture and language, and then translate the Bible into that language. I believe that those who teach the Bible to kids (in any language…
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Winter Fusion 2014

December 30, 2014

Last night was the kickoff for Winter Fusion, a retreat for youth from churches in Virginia. I got to perform my unicycle routine as a little teaser for the full show tonight. It’s been a lot of fun so far interacting with these young people and meeting their leaders as well. The fun thing for…
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The Power of a Family Camp

October 6, 2014

I recently spoke at a Family Camp at Camp Dixie in North Carolina. The idea is simple: create a camp experience that involves the whole family. Most camps offer programs for age-specific groups, particularly children’s and youth camps. But Family Camp is where all the members of the family come to camp together and enjoy…
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Bright Ideas You Can Use This Sunday

September 26, 2014

I’m happy to announce a new book to which I contributed. It is a collection of practical creative ministry ideas that you can use in your Sunday School, Children’s Church, camp, youth group, or other ministry setting with kids. The book categorizes the ideas so that you can find a quick and easy idea whether…
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Praying for Missionaries

September 2, 2014

Another one of our worship response stations at camp a few weeks ago was a station where kids could pray for world missions and the missionaries scattered around the globe. This was a very simple station – we simply hung up a large world map on the wall – at the eye level of kids.…
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Prayer Counseling in Children’s Ministry

August 28, 2014

In a previous post, I explained the idea of worship response stations and their use in ministry to children. I am going to unpack each station in a series of posts, starting with the prayer station. The Bible teaches us to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17), so I believe prayer is essential to Children’s…
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How to Memorize Scripture

August 12, 2014

I personally learn how to memorize things better when I associate the thing I want to memorize with something else that is unique and/or familiar to me. For example, if someone tells me their name is John (a very common name), I might quickly imagine that person dressed up as John the Baptist baptizing Jesus…
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Juggling Down a Zipline

August 8, 2014

Video evidence of my adventure juggling rocks while flying down a zipline! According to the laws of physics, the balls are flying forward WITH me as I toss and catch them. I don’t have to compensate for my forward motion. I simply juggle as if I was standing still in place. It’s actually quite amazing…
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Worship Response Stations

August 7, 2014

I recently returned from Pine Creek Camp in Gore, VA. I was the camp pastor for two weeks with several hundred preteen kids and their chaperones from Assembly of God churches around Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, D.C., and West Virginia. I speak at many camps each summer, but this one stuck out because of the format…
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Palm Sunday Lesson

February 15, 2014

Here is a brief activity you can use on Palm Sunday in your Children’s Church service. It is designed to be humorous and then lead into teaching the kids the real meaning of Palm Sunday. Title: “Palm Sunday” Scripture: John 12:12-15 NIV “The next day the great crowd that had come for the Feast heard…
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Life as a Professional Juggler: FAQ’s

December 12, 2013

By God’s grace, I am living a dream. I get to do what I love and I don’t even feel like I work. But what I do is serious “work” at the same time. I get a lot of questions from people about what I do, so I thought I would try to consolidate the…
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A Retreat for the Whole Church

September 2, 2013

This past weekend, I had the privilege of speaking and entertaining at a church-wide retreat at a camp in the middle of Nebraska. What I witnessed in the dynamics of this retreat was one of the most powerful forms of the church being the church I’ve seen before. And I’m not talking about how they…
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A Preteen Who Finally Heard

August 6, 2013

I just got this note from a young lady who attended PreTeen Camp at Highland Lakes a few weeks ago. At first it sounds like a criticism, but when I kept reading it I saw it was a testimony. It is very encouraging, reminding me to just keep pressing on in proclaiming God’s Word, because…
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The Ultimate Church Van

August 2, 2013

Found this van at Highland Lakes Camp this week. Talk about going to camp in style. Zoinks!
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MVOTW!

August 1, 2013

A crazy new word has entered my vocabulary this summer – MVOTW. It stands for “Memory Verse of the Week.” I have learned that elementary kids and preteens love weird words. They also love doing silly motions to spell out or act out something. So each week at camp this summer, I have taught the…
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Paintball in a Pool

July 26, 2013

I’m at Highland Lakes Camp in Spicewood, TX this week. They built a new pool facility and this is how they re-use their old one…as a paintball arena.
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Top 5 Games for Summer Camp

February 21, 2013

I travel to a lot of summer camps around the country each year. I have seen with my own eyes what games kids are drawn to the most throughout their given week of camp. And they are the same games no matter where you go. Kids are kids! Here are the 5 games that I…
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The Impossible Paper Cut

February 19, 2013

I asked a group of elementary schoolers if they thought I could cut a hole in a regular 8.5″x11″ piece of computer paper large enough to fit 6 kids through it at the same time. We were able to do it with no problem! Are you also skeptical? Here’s how you do it…… Step 1:…
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The Easiest Large Group Game Ever

January 15, 2013

This is probably the easiest large group game ever invented. If you can think of an easier one, please let me know in the comments. Heads or Tails! This game of heads or tails involves EVERYONE in your large group. It is actually better the larger the group gets. There is an elimination factor to…
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If You’re Happy and You Know It: Extreme Version

June 26, 2012

I call it “HAYKI.” I have used this song for years on kids and they can’t get enough of it. I have written 400 lines to the song and here they are for your use with kids groups. I just ask that you don’t sell this in any way, shape, or form. You can freely…
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Now Bring Me This!

May 28, 2012

Here’s a game I learned from my friend Brandon Rushin. The game is called “Now Bring Me This.” Kids love it! And it’s perfect for 2 kids or over 1,000 kids (not many games can do that). So you can use it in a classroom, in a Children’s Church service, at camp, in a youth group,…
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Children’s Ministry Stunt Lesson: The Human Table

April 26, 2012

This human stunt is a crowd favorite – and anyone can do it. Its called “The Human Table”. You could also call it “The Levitating People” or come up with your own name. It’s called a “stunt” lesson rather than an object lesson because you need 4 adults about the same size as one another…
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4 Reasons Why You Should Go to a Summer Camp

February 28, 2012

The coming of Spring means summer is fast approaching. Now is the time to plan ahead (if you haven’t already) for bringing the kids in your family ministry to a summer camp. Here are 4 things I think you should know about Christian summer camps: 1. Camp is Often THE Highlight of a Kid’s Year…
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It’s As Scary As It Looks – At First

July 6, 2010

At first, this is very frightening. But after years of practicing the shorter unicycle, I found that once I took that first “leap of faith” onto the tall unicycle and rode it for a bit, it was just like riding the shorter one, just higher in the air. This was taken at Highland Lakes Camp…
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If You’re Happy and You Know It

June 4, 2010

I have stumbled upon an immensely wonderful game to play with elementary age children. It works especially well with very large groups (even hundreds of kids). I play it with kids at the camps I visit in the summertime and most every kid seems to love playing it. It’s called, “If You’re Happy and You…
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I Love Camp Cedars

July 3, 2008

I am here in Hordville, Nebraska at Covenant Cedars Christian Camp. It is part of the Evangelical Covenant denomination, which stands for solid Christian doctrine and the authority of God’s Word. Something I really like about this denomination is its diversity on the more peripheral issues that tend to split denominations out there. Anyway, I…
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I Love Camp Dixie

June 21, 2008

Camp Dixie is a Christian camp in Fayetteville, NC and I had the chance to speak at their “Beginner’s Camp” this past week (1st-4th graders). I had a blast at this camp. They had a theme called “Secrets of the Realm” and decked out the camp in Medieval decor. So I ran with that theme…
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