Youth need opportunities to talk with one another about their goals, values, problems
and questions. Our youth programs are written as discussion sessions focusing on personal
thoughts and feelings.

If you have questions about any of our materials, you can e-mail (we're at info@educationalministries.com) us or call 800-221-0910 for further information.

8149 Gifts Of The Spirit $9.95
by Elaine M. Ward

This book contains 14 programs for youth based on Philippians 4:4-8. Chapter titles are: Rejoice, Gentleness, Trust, Prayer, Petition, Thanksgiving, Contentment, Whatever Is True, Whatever Is Noble , Whatever Is Right, Whatever Is Pure, Whatever Is Lovely, Whatever Is Admirable, and Whatever Is Praiseworthy. Each session includes stories, activities and content for discussion and meditation.

8159 Once Upon a Parable $14.95
by Elaine M. Ward

This resource of youth programs is for youth leaders and facilitators out of a love and passion for stories that matter. Certain stories inform, others inspire, and still others invite the imagination to sing and dance. Elaine Ward, the storyteller, hopes that if these stories help young people become a little more open and loving, a little wiser, and more alive, if they feed hungers or provide joy that lifts the spirit, her purpose will be accomplished. By hearing and discussing the enduring images and concepts of stories, young people learn to build self-esteem, change limiting and self-defeating perspectives, and experience personal hope and meaning. Stories speak to the part of us that responds to mystery and wonder, and connect us with the unseen world.

8169 Abundant Living $8.25
by Elaine M. Ward

All of us experience feelings of fear, envy, failure, desire and lack of courage, but we vary in our response to them. Whether we control our feelings or our feelings control us is important in abundant living, which is living with feelings. To recognize these emotions is the first step in celebrating the positive and eliminating the negative, toward being a whole person. The format in this new resource for youth is that of a retreat but the content could also be used as five Sunday morning or evening sessions.

8196 Movers Of Mountains $12.95
by Elaine M. Ward

These youth programs are the solid fare which adolescents need as they seek meaning and mission, identity and independence, fantasy and fact, the “bread” of their daily diet. This book of eighteen youth programs reaches young people where they are. Each session includes theme input, stories, and activities. In them they will face their feelings, their relationships with their parents, their failures, and the important decisions they will be making in life.

8210 Youth Programming Workbook $8.50
by Robert G. Davidson

This resource has been designed to be used as a planning guide for youth ministry. There are many suggestions, ideas, and models offered for you to think about concerning youth ministry programming. There is space for you to make notes, jot down ideas, and create your own planning session for your unique youth ministry. Programming areas suggested in this resource include among others: Sunday Evening Programs, Interest Groups, Celebration/Worship, Special Projects, Service Programs, Group Activities, Camps, Retreats, Odysseys, and Summer Programming.

8221 Gathering The Pieces $9.95
by Robert G. Davidson

This facilitator’s guide is designed to help senior high young people gain new insights into the way they think and feel about themselves and other people. The 22 sessions included focus on the use of interaction through the group process, and they will help youth grow through mutual love and support. This resource offers step-by-step instruction through each of the sessions by providing material for opening, continuing, and concluding each conversation. Some session titles are: The Art of Trusting Others, Pushed and Pulled by Peers. Communicating Your Own Feelings, Accepting Your Limitations.

8232 Held In High Value $9.95
by Robert G. Davidson

Are you looking for quality senior high youth programs for your youth ministry group? Do you want to get your young people involved in stretching their thoughts so they may gain insights into the things they value as human beings? This resource of 20 youth programs will help you! Some of the program themes include: Christian listening; Play; Loneliness; Suicide; Love and Marriage; Family; Death; Thoughts on God; and, Tomorrow’s world.

8242 God Doesn’t Make Junk $8.00
by Robert G. Davidson

This resource can be used as a five-session senior high youth retreat or a five-session youth program. The material has been designed for a three-day weekend retreat with five sessions. There are many suggestions, ideas and models offered as you adapt the material to meet the unique needs of your youth ministry group. The 5 themes are: Becoming Aware of Myself and Others, Coming to Know Myself, Accepting Who I Am, Interacting with Others, and Motivating to Move Out.Young people need time to explore who they are and assess their relationships with others. This retreat offers that opportunity.

8255 Looking at Life Piece by Piece $14.95
by Kristen Kemper

Today’s youth face more influences and options than ever. They need guidance and support in the process of establishing their individual identities and choosing what is important to their lives. This collection of 24 programs covers issues and topics that are of everyday concern to youth such as trust, values, communication, forgiveness, friendship, loneliness, AIDS, prayer, failure, depression and honesty as well as themes related to Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Epiphany. The programs will challenge youth to explore their beliefs and feelings while giving them an opportunity to gain insights from the reflections and opinions of the other participants. This facilitator’s guide offers step-by-step instruction through each of the programs by providing material for opening, continuing, and concluding the session.


8256 The Foundation of Youth $14.95
by Kristen Kemper

A strong and vital youth ministry can be the solid foundation from which a church's teens experience dynamic spiritual, emotional and social growth. Key to this is building a community of trust in which youth can explore their values, feelings and beliefs while learning from one another's insights and reflections. the goal of this collection of 20 youth programs is to create
opportunities for youth to engage in meaningful dialogue about the issues that are important to them. Some themes explored are: peer pressure, self-confidence, materialism, prejudice, anger, competitiveness, worry, decision making, fear, temptations, change, expressing emotions, doubt, and relationships with parents.

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8324 The Handbook of Youth Ministry Skills $12.95
by William E. Krill, Jr.

This resource has been written to provide basic relational skills information for volunteers or those professionals that are new to youth ministry in their congregation. It attempts to equip those people with basic skills to make them function better in their role. Having a great love and interest in serving youth is not enough. This handbook offers skill building and basic relational knowledge to the volunteer youth minister.

8343 Close Encounters! $19.95
by Carol Westphal

Close Encounters! helps Middle School students experience-encounter!-Jesus as he walks from the pages of Luke's gospel into their lives.

Seventeen key stories from Luke introduce students to a living Christ and remind them of this living Christ's active presence in their lives. In each story, each "encounter", whether it's the birth of Jesus, the temptation of Jesus, a healing miracle, or the lonely walk of Jesus to the cross, students are encouraged to see the relation of their experience to the experience of Jesus. Through classroom dialogues, through a variety of activities, and especially through journaling, students are also encouraged to ask all the questions they have about Jesus' life in the 1 ' century and about their own lives in the 21 St century.

Close Encounters! is designed in a very user-friendly format. Each lesson provides questions (with helpful background material) for class discussion. Class activities-from word searches to creative expression in collages and art work-also accompany each lesson. Some role play suggestions are included, and every session concludes with journal questions to help students link the lesson to their lives.

While designed primarily for students preparing for confirmation or profession of faith, Close Encounters! can also be used for regular church school classes. A mentoring format is also suggested to encourage one-on-one relationships between students and adult members of the faith community.


8347 What Do They Expect Of Me? $9.95
by Robert G. Davidson

One of the struggles which middle high age young people face is the task of forming relationships with their peers. Through successful interaction, church youth groups can offer these young people a community of acceptance in which they can learn more about themselves. The 20 programs included emphasize these themes: The way I am now, What my peers expect me to be, What my parents expect of me, How to be a Christian, and How I would like to be in the future.

8350 Youth Retreats for All Occasions $12.95
by Kelly Stevens

In today’s world it is hard for youth to grow up feeling good about themselves and others, confident in their abilities, and positive about their futures. To be a part of building another’s self-esteem can be an invaluable gift that will last a lifetime. As youth ministers, you can have this unique opportunity. The book begins with a summer leadership retreat which helps train the “core team” to get them ready to start the year. Next are retreats to help freshmen and sophomores feel welcome in your group. Then a hunger retreat to have before Thanksgiving, a Christmas retreat to focus on the real meaning of the season, a Holy Week retreat looks at the events leading up to Christ’s death, a Christian Discipleship retreat designed for the confirmation class, and finally a springtime retreat for 8th graders which looks toward their future in high school and what they can expect there.

8368 Marveling At God’s Mysteries $12.95

This new resource offers an opportunity for youth to come together as a community to creatively experience and express their faith. Creative faith experiences are opportunities to speak to God and allow God to speak to us through our imaginations. These faith experiences combine elements from worship, study and the arts, in a context that allows youth to learn, have fun, and enjoy being together. Marveling at God’s Mysteries is an exploration of God. It asks: who is God? and how does God act in our lives and in the world? Although youth will be asking theological questions, Marveling at God’s Mysteries is not just an intellectual quest. It is more a quest of the spirit and a quest of the imagination. The book will not solve God’s mysteries, but help us marvel at them.

8404 Getting To Know You $5.75
by Elaine M. Ward

Getting to Know You is the theme of this three-day retreat which has been designed for and used with senior high age young people. This guide explores the perceptions and influences of youth through these five sessions: Who Am I?, Who Am I in Relation to You?, Who Am I in Relation to God?, Who Am I in Relation to the World?, and Who Am I in Relation to the Church?


8422 YOUTH MINISTRY SUPPORT MANUAL $14.95
by Terry Deffenbaugh

Being a youth minister is a daunting responsibility. So much is expected of you! This book is designed to help you deal with the obstacles that will occur within your youth group. The situations addressed in the book range from the small and almost insignificant to some of the major disasters that can happen. It is designed to help not only the person who is experiencing pain, but also to help the group process their feelings and to respond to the one who is in need.

Some background material is presented in each section and then some strategies are given to help the individual and the group work through the incident. Some of the many areas covered are: Dealing with the Past, Expectations from the Congregation, The Personal Life of the Staff, Rules to Function By, Adolescent Behavior, Divisive Attitudes, Dealing with Relationships, What's Going on at Home, and Death of a Peer.

This is an invaluable guide book for both new and old youth ministers. Terry Deffenbaugh offers his many years of experience to help you cope with an awesome responsibility.

8515 Learning About Worship $6.50
by John Wetherwax

Participants Book. What do you know about worship? What area of worship would you like to know more about? This resource is a study book for youth and adults to help them make discoveries about Christian worship through personal reflection, group sharing and discussion. This is an active, busy study that has the members make a worship audit of their congregation and participate in a worship word association test. The history and traditional aspects of worship are studied as well as inclusive language, the use of prayer, the Christian year, music and preaching. Here is a great way to build community and get laity more involved and informed about the worship of God. This makes an excellent study unit for confirmation classes.

Item: 8516 Leader’s Guide 3.00



9236 Helping Children With Death $2.50
by Elaine M. Ward

Children’s curiosity about death is part of their eagerness to learn about everything in their world. By evading or ignoring their questions, or even the subject of death itself, we block the child from talking about, acting out, and interpreting his or her thoughts and feelings. It contains stories and a good bibliography.

9241 Helping Children With Divorce $2.50
by Elaine M. Ward

This booklet is for adults who are helping children cope with divorce. It is written out of concern for children, the innocent by-standers who are hurt through the process of divorce, for their parents who feel the pain of separation, and for caring adults who live with, guide, and love children. Suggestions of literature, stories and books are given to help provide a child with as much stability as possible during a time of “uprootedness.”

9260 Help And Hope To The Grieving $2.50
by Victor M. Parachin

Whenever someone experiences a loss to death, family, friends and the church community all want to reach out to provide comfort. Although this ministry of comfort is clearly called for in scripture, Christians often hesitate because they don’t know what to do or say. And those who do try to assist often act in clumsy ways because they are uncomfortable with bereavement. In this short booklet, several effective and practical strategies are explored which anyone can use to bring help and hope to the grieving.