Three favorite "demonstrations" about "What is the Church" and "We're Stronger Together"

These were originally children's sermons I did, but I've also used them in Confirmation and Sunday School classes. Elaborate on their meaning as you will.

Light as a feather

One person lays on the floor and you invite another to try and lift and move them across the room --using just one hand. They can't. Then you invite the whole group to surround the person on the floor, each placing one hand under the person's body, then lift on the count of three.

Tip:  "Spot" the person's head in case the lifters accidentally drop the person laying down.

After doing this demonstration, we recreate it, labeling the person on the floor with all sorts of things like, "learning, teaching, serving, mission, creating a worship space, counseling, worship, music, prayer, etc etc etc."   The single hands represent each of us. Adjust size of student and number of hands allowed to be used for the weight of the person laying down and strength of the kids doing the lifting.

Surfing the Body, aka, "Holy Rollers"

All the kids, save one, lay down on the floor next to each other like rollers on a conveyor belt. One small child gently lays across the first two kids and on "go" all the logs start to SLOWLY roll in the same direction. This "conveys" the small child across the "rollers" and deposits them at the other end of the logs. See video demonstration of it here on YouTube under "human conveyor belt."

Needs space. A great activity for 8+ kids. Fun to have a youth group help be "Holy Rollers."  The rolling only works with practice and timing!  Good as a family night activity too.

Stronger Together

Give kids popsicle sticks and invite them one-at-a-time to "show how strong they are" by snapping them. Invite them to grimace and grunt!   That's easy!   

Now distribute 12 to 15 new popsicle sticks to all the kids and invite the strongest person to come forward. (More for older kids). Ask "Hulk" is he or she thinks they can break the sticks. They'll say yes, and that's when you pull the switcheroo.   Collect all the stick, put a rubber band around them to hold them together, and hand them to Hulk.  Hulk get mad. Hulk get angry!  Hulk won't be able to break the sticks.

We're stronger together when we face big problems and needs.

We need to get together if we're going to solve tough problems.