1. The Net
Spiritual Application:
Sin is like this net—it easily entangles us, trapping us in habits, guilt, or shame. It may feel impossible to get through. But God doesn’t leave us stuck. He gives us His Spirit, His Word, and His people to help us. Just as you need help getting through this net, we need each other to get through the struggles of sin. Fellow Christians keep us accountable, encourage us, and help us stay on the right path.
And when we slip up—and we will—God offers grace. We don’t stay down. In Christ, we can repent, reset, and keep going. God doesn't expect perfection; He wants us to keep moving forward with Him and with each other.
Hebrews 12:1 – “Let us also lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”
John 3:16–17 – “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but so that the world might be saved through Him.”
God loves us and makes a way for us through Jesus. Sometimes He also works through friends, family, and moments like this camp to help us grow. When we walk together, in faith and community, we can overcome sin and experience real freedom in Christ.
Directions:
- Ask students to select 2 leaders to help guide them.
- Leaders will help the team work together to lift, guide, and receive students safely through each of the holes in the net.
- (To make more difficult only allow each hole to be used once.)
- Encourage students to pray over one another and the activity—before, during, and after.
- As they go through the net, remind them:
- Sin entangles, but God helps us through.
- Trust in your leaders—just as we trust in God.
- God will never leave us stuck in sin if we seek Him.
- We grow through accountability and community.
2. Teeter Board
Spiritual Application:
Life often feels unbalanced. We try to fix it on our own—through effort, distraction, or control—but nothing works. True balance comes only through surrendering to Jesus. When we lean on Him, He brings stability and direction to our lives.
Proverbs 3:5–6 – “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”
God sees the full picture when we can only see one side. When we trust Him, He helps us live with peace, balance, and purpose.
Directions:
- Have students choose one leader.
- The leader will direct students one at a time onto the teeter board, aiming to keep it balanced.
- If either side touches the ground, they must start over.
- Once everyone is balanced, the leader steps onto the center.
- For an added challenge, try the activity in reverse: students step off one by one under the leader’s direction.
- Emphasize how God is our Leader—He sees all, knows all, and guides us into balance when we trust Him.
3. The Wall
Spiritual Application:
Life is full of walls—challenges that seem too high to climb, too hard to overcome. By ourselves, we can’t do it. But with God, all things are possible. He gives us strength and surrounds us with others to help us. He provides “the how” when we trust His plan.
Jeremiah 29:11 – “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for prosperity and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.’”
God sees more than the wall. He sees the other side. And He is for you—not against you. Trust Him.
Directions:
- Students work together to push one student up and over the wall.
- That student then helps pull the next person up as others push from below.
- Repeat until everyone has made it over.
- Emphasize how God lifts us up and calls us to lift others. We don’t face life’s walls alone—He provides help, hope, and a way forward.
4. The Obstacle Course
Spiritual Application:
Jesus tells us there are two paths in life: one is wide and easy—but it leads to destruction. The other is narrow and difficult—but it leads to life. Real life in Christ is challenging, but worth it. And we’re not meant to walk it alone.
Matthew 7:13–14 – “Enter through the narrow gate... For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”
Sin weighs us down, but Jesus sets us free. He carries our burdens and surrounds us with fellow believers to walk alongside us.
Directions:
- All students begin on the first platform, carrying a burden (e.g., a tube filled with sand).
- As a team, they must move from platform to platform, navigating obstacles.
- Encourage teamwork, communication, and perseverance.
- Reflect together afterward on how sin burdens us, but in Christ we are strengthened, supported, and set free.
5. The Balance Beams
Spiritual Application:
The Church is strongest when it is unified around Jesus. When we all move in the same direction—focused on Christ and loving one another—we reflect His glory. But when we are divided or selfish, we dishonor His name.
Ephesians 4:3 – “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”
John 17:21 – “...that they may all be one, just as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also may be in Us...”
Unity takes effort—but it’s worth it. When we work together in love and humility, we honor God and bless others.
Directions:
- Have students line up on the balance beams.
- Challenge them to rearrange themselves without stepping off (e.g., by height, alphabetically, or birthday order).
- This requires communication, patience, and unity.
- Afterward, discuss how unity in the Church works the same way—we all have to work together, help each other, and stay focused on Christ.
