Big Game Party Ready-Made

So you might have a Big Game Party for the Super Bowl already planned, but you don't know what to do other than watch the big game! Well, don't settle for that- you can turn this into a great event! If you don't already have a Super Bowl party planned- rethink it- it's a good one! (For those of you out of the U.S., we're pretty fanatical about our football here- bear with us!)

Here are the basics on what to do.

WHERE:
That's right, you need a place to watch the game. If your youth group is small, someone's house is great! If you have a large group, you can use a youth room, a gym, anyplace you can find and set up a big screen and projector. (You'll need some sort of TV tuner with reception hooked up to the projector – worse case scenario, a VCR with a pair of rabbit ears!)

Youth worker Ryan Snyder and his staff even set up three 9×12 screens and built a ÒstadiumÓ of about 30-35 couches around his youth room! They have an arcade, lounge, and karaoke room; basketball, volleyball, and other games set up to play throughout the event.

WHEN:
Super Bowl Sunday of course.

PRIZES:
That's right- I always get some good prizes that I advertise beforehand. In the past I've gotten dinner certificates, ski tickets, sports memorabilia, etc. The prizes go to those who do best on the “Super Bowl Quiz.” You'll see . . . keep reading!

COST:
Depending on what you do and what your budget is. If your ministry has a strong budget and you want to provide a good outreach for your students to bring friends, then make it FREE. If you have no budget, you can charge a few bucks to cover sodas, (“pop” for all of you from Minnesota) snacks, and any prizes you couldn't get donated. Snyder has his youth ministryÕs SB party catered and charges $8 per student.

SUPER BOWL DAY:
The agenda for this event is pretty easy. You give them a quiz (see Big Game Party Quiz below) as they enter the party. They have to fill it out before going in (or entering the main room). Certain questions have to do with the beginning of the game, so if they come late they can still fill out the quiz, but they miss those questions. Don't allow anyone to fill out the quiz past the first quarter – they'll have an unfair advantage with the final score, etc. Then let everyone enjoy the game. I stand up several times through the game and do a quick Up Front Game (to see my Up Front Games page CLICK HERE) and give a little prize away. At the end, I tally up the quizzes and give away the grand prizes.

If you want- you can use this event as a chance to share Christ. One year SnyderÕs youth team videoed a student ahead of time sharing her testimony on how God helped her out of a lifestyle of drinking and drugs. At half-time, they shared that and presented the gospel. That year 225 students attended Ð about half who didnÕt normally attend his church!

Regardless of how you do it, it's a great event where students can get to know each other. (Guess what, I did this at my adult Sunday school class – each couple takes a quiz together! Great fun!)

Note: Every year we send out a quiz in our FREE Ezine newsletter a week or two before the Super Bowl. If you donÕt receive our free newsletter, sign up in the upper right hand corner of this screen!

CLICK HERE for the Big Game Party Quiz-2015.

*Please note that the newest quiz will always be available the week prior to the Super Bowl on Jonathan’s Blog each new year.