At a Church Lock-In, there is going to be worship.  The question is: What time to have it?  I’m a fan of waiting until midnight to have worship for a few reasons:

• Everyone is there.  Those who have to arrive late from sports events and other things will be there by midnight.
• Gives time for youth to help plan & participate in worship.  The most meaningful worship services I have been at during Lock-Ins have been planned and led by the youth.
• Sets a tradition of worship.  Youth will get used to having worship at midnight and it will become a tradition and be seen as a part of the Lock-In.  When worship is held at different times every year, you will usually get reactions of whining as it is seen as a “surprise and interruption to fun.”

Simple Lock-In Worship Order Continue Reading…

A cool way to make snack time into an activity is to have a pizza delivery race.

• Find 3-5 pizza delivery places – write out their phone numbers and what you want the youth to order
• Split the group up so that there is a group rooting for each pizza place
• Have all of the orders placed at the same time
• Wait and cheer as each delivery person arrives as you are doing a different activity

Warning: If you are going to do this for dinner then remember that if the youth whose pizza place arrives first get to eat first and the youth whose Continue Reading…