Home » Ministries » Youth Ministry » Fuel Magazine » All Issues » Fuel Christmas 2005 » Jo Ryan & Fi Mainland: What are our Gifts?

Jo Ryan & Fi Mainland: What are our gifts?

Helping young people identify gifts. While sometimes it might seem like as youth leaders we’re expected to be all things to all people, on days when we have a little perspective, we realise that we have been given some gifts and not others. Together we are the body of Christ, and if we know what unique gifts we have to offer, that will give us the wisdom to give others space and encouragement to share their particular gifts, and the whole body will be the better for it.

It’s worth taking some time to think about what you are gifted at, and helping the young people you work with to journey through this process as well.

A ‘discover your gifts’ session to use with young people

Taken from session 5 of ‘Creating a Pathway to Believe and Belong’, a resource made up of 6 sessions preparing young people for baptism, confirmation and other forms of Christ-commitment available for $5 from the PYM Office.

AIM...

  • To help the participants identify their God-given gifts and encourage them to think about how they might share them.

GETTING STARTED…

Give everyone a piece of paper and a pen and the following instructions:

  • Write a letter to yourself describing your gifts. Don’t list them, write as though you are describing yourself to someone who doesn’t know you. E.g. ‘George has a real gift for listening to others... ‘ etc.
  • You only have two minutes, so write what immediately and instinctively comes to mind.
  • After 2 minutes give the following instructions:
  • Make a list of 5 gifts from your letter.
  • Give out 5 plain cards to each person (business card size).
  • Get them to write a gift on each of the five card.

Tell the participants to keep these cards for the rest of the evening.

CHECK OUT THE SCRIPTURES…

Read 1 Corinthians 12:4-31

Questions for discussion:

  • What does this passage say about how people can work and grow together?
  • How does your church use different people’s gifts?

DIGGING DEEPER...

Shape game

Beforehand, cut 6 identical squares out of card. Cut these squares into 3 or 4 pieces, so you will have a collection of triangles, squares and rectangles. These shapes can be photocopied from ‘Believe and Belong’.

Object of the game: for groups to make squares using all of the shapes put before them.

The catch: No one is allowed to talk, they can share your shapes with each other, but not by taking, only by giving them away.

At two random moments during this game, tell the participants that they have to give up one of their cards with gifts written on them, so that by the end of the game they only have 3 gifts remaining.

Concluding punch-line

(feel free to fill out these points and/or put them in your own words)

When you hit 50 and you look back and survey what you’ve spent your young years doing, you want to look back and see that your life is worthwhile.

Ask the participants to give up another one of their gifts so they have 2 left.

  • For God’s sake, be good at something. You all have God given gifts. If you’re not sure about what they are, look at your two remaining cards – that might be a good starting point.
  • Once you’ve worked out what you’re good at, once you’ve identified your gifts, look after them, work at them, let them grow.
  • Then, you have a choice – to keep your gifts for yourself and your own interests and ambitions… or you can give them away.
  • God needs you to give them away...

WRAP-UP…

  • Look at the gifts on your remaining cards and share them with your neighbour.
  • What hopes and fears do you have about growing these gifts?
  • When, how and where could you give these gifts away?

PRAY…

Finish with prayer that asks God to help us discover, nurture and make good choices about what we do with our gifts.

RESOURCES

Network

This course was developed by Willow Creek (available in the PYM Library), and explains the various spiritual gifts and how you can identify and use them. It includes a survey of close friends and family, and an individual ‘consultation’ at the end where you meet with a church leader to discuss what you’ve learned about your gifts and how you can use them in your context.

Myers Briggs, Enneagram

There are many courses available to help discover your personality and individual characteristics. While they aren’t about gifts, learning more about yourself and others is important in the process of learning how we can best serve God.

More ideas for identifying gifts in young people

Brainstorm – ask each young people to write down 3-5 things they are good at

Read – some of the key passages in the bible that outline gifts of the spirit, and other books that explore this topic (check out the PYM library)

Explain – make sure people know what the gifts actually involve.

Discuss – share with each other what you have learned. Also encourage talking about these gifts with close friends and family who can offer a different perspective.

Celebrate – build up esteem and confidence by delighting with a young person when they think they have uncovered their spiritual gifts.

Encourage – work with the young person to find ways to put their gift into practice.

  • Encourage young people in your group to identify gifts in others. Sit in a circle and get each person to write his or her name on a piece of paper. Pass the papers around the circle, getting each person to write one or two gifts that they see in the person named.
  • Give each person a short survey to give to 3 family members and close friends, asking what gifts theyhave observed in that person.

Youth Group ideas

Idea #1

At the start of 2006 get each young person to choose one gift they’d like to share. Throughout the year you can work together to find or create opportunities to do this, and encourage and challenge one another.

Idea #2

Get your young people to work together on a project for other people in your community, which will involve people with many different gifts. This might be a kids holiday programme, music or sports event, service project, anything you can dream up!

Idea #3

Partner up young people with older mentors who share a certain gift and can encourage them in it and share how they have been able to use their gifts.

Jo Ryan & Fi Mainland