The Eyes Have It

This is not so much a game as it is a powerful way to bring down walls in your youth group. Divide your group in half and have each of the two groups line up single-file and shoulder-to-shoulder, facing each other so that everyone has a partner. For instance, if you have 20 people, divide them into group 1 and group 2 like this:

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Each person in group 1 holds hands with his/her partner in group 2, and must stare deep into the other person’s eyes without saying a word — this may be hard to achieve at first but it is absolutely essential. Play some mellow Christian music in the background. Every ten seconds or so, pause the music briefly (one second or so) to signal that the entire group is to shift clockwise so that everyone changes partners. Continue this until everyone has been a partner with everyone else.

The point? Many youth stay in their own cliques and avoid contact with others. This activity forces ten seconds of total concentration on another person’s soul — “the eyes are the window to the soul.” You may be amazed at the results. Everyone gets the same measure of respect from everyone else for a change. This might lead to an excellent discussion on any number of topics. You could instruct the ten seconds to be spent in prayer for the other person, or have everyone forgive each other for any hurts, etc.