WHAT DOES YOUR FAITH COST?
Feature a talk or testimony focusing on the costs and benefits of your faith:
Things that you have to give up or lose: dating, drugs, alcohol, some parties, some friends, etc.
Things that you get in return: security, love, family, confidence, friends, community etc.
Give time for the youth to reflect on these questions:
What do you lose or have to give up by choosing to have this faith?
What to gain by choosing to have this faith?
Have them write down their responses on separate pieces of paper. Each response should have it’s own paper and should be written in large print.
Collect the “What do you gain” papers, but have the youth keep the “What do you lose” papers.
Place a trash can in the middle of the room and have everyone make a circle around it.
While this is going on, someone should tape up the “what do you gain” papers on a nearby wall. Try not to be too distracting!
When the youth feel ready have them approach the box and put the “What do you have to give up?” papers in the trash can. They should say the words out loud as they throw them away.
It’s good to give a little pep talk after this part of the program that emphasizes the value of what we gain vs. what we lose.
Have everyone face the wall with the “what do you gain” papers.
When the youth are ready, they should approach the wall and take off the papers they wrote down. They should also say out loud what they gain as they retrieve it from the wall.
Once everyone has collected their papers offer a closing prayer or group hug focusing on how lucky we are to have our faith.