Pastor Appreciation Games
Pastors are involved, at some level, in almost every activity and ministry of a church. Their work is extensive, exhausting and varied -- from preaching, teaching and visiting the sick to attending board meetings and formulating a vision for the future of the ministry. Pastor appreciation games should incorporate several of the different facets of a pastor's responsibilities.
Other People Are Reading
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Make a Word
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Give everyone who attends the pastor appreciation celebration a sheet of paper and a pen. Head the sheet with the phrase, "Pastor Appreciation" or "We Appreciate Pastor __________ (add name of your pastor)." When you say, "Go!" everyone playing tries to create as many words as possible from the heading appreciation phrase -- a form of a word scramble game. Explain that letters can be used only as many times as they appear in the phrase. If there is only one "P," for example, words can use only one "P." Proper names are not allowed. The exception is that those playing the pastor appreciation game will receive points if they find the name of the pastor, spouse or children. For example, words created from "Pastor Appreciation" include "pie," "past" and "tea." Those with the most correct words of three or more letters win.
What Pastor Does
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Fill a basket with slips of paper on which you write different things the pastor does -- including preach, pray, visit the sick, teach, study the Bible and write sermons -- for a form of charades. As the members of the congregation arrive for the pastor appreciation celebration, have them take a slip from the basket. Ask them not to tell anyone else what is on their slip unless they wish to work with another individual in the game. Set the pastor and the pastor's spouse in competition with the church chairperson and other church leaders at a judges' table. As members of the congregation act out the pastor's responsibilities, those at the judges' table try to be the first to guess correctly. The team with the most correct answers wins the game.
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Guess and Win
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Glue clips to poster board that reads, "Choose and Win." Before the pastor appreciation celebration, ask members of the congregation to place their gift of appreciation in a business-size envelope. Number each envelope and keep track of which person or family made the donation. Explain that this is part of a game. Members of the congregation may add cash, a check, gift card or a note for a larger gift, such as a weekend away or a car check. Clip the envelopes to the board with the numbers showing. Give the pastor, spouse and family one envelope between them. In turn, each family member can exchange the envelope they have with another from the board. The pastor gets the final choice. At the end of the time scheduled, the pastor opens the envelope chosen and announces what is inside. The game surprise comes next, when the pastor's family receives all of the envelopes.
When Did It Happen
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This game works best for a long-term pastor. Make a list of memorable pastor "moments." These may include firsts such as the first sermon at the church, first wedding, baptism and funeral. They may include personal moments or funny incidents. Have members draw a "moment" from a basket. A person stands up and reads the item on the slip and also gets the first chance to guess when the moment happened. If unable to guess or if the guess is incorrect, others have a chance to guess. The pastor remains the final judge as to whether an answer is correct. Those with the most correct guesses win.
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References
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