Youth Group Time Capsule

We are here to help encourage you to make a youth group time capsule for your church. My wife and I do not have kids of our own.  It is not that we haven’t tried to get pregnant, it is just that, for whatever reason, we have never succeeded in getting pregnant.  I try not to think about it too much because when I do, it breaks my heart.  So, what do you do when you want kids and don’t have them?  You borrow them as often as you can!

For many years, I borrowed about 40 junior high and high school youth through our church.  Every Friday night, for about 4 hours, the kids would meet me at the church for a time of hanging out, playing crazy games, music, and then they allowed me to teach them about The Bible.  For me, it was the highlight of my week!  We had so much fun with them.  I built relationships and memories with them that I will treasure for the rest of my life.

It has been several years now since the program I was running was shut down, but I am still in contact with many of these young men and women.  They are almost all in college now, but they still stay in contact with me.  Each year, I try to throw some kind of get-together for them so that we can all catch up with each other’s lives.  We talk and play games, laugh, and reminisce.  We catch up on each other’s lives and talk about how things have changed.  It occurred to me last time I was with them, while everything has changed, most of the relationships between them are the same.  They still love each other, pray for one another, and care for one another.

They Grow Up So Fast

To me, these kids are as close as I have to children of my own, and I take great pride in watching as they are growing up.  I have loved watching the “squirly young man” grow up and mature as he is studying to become a mechanical engineer.  I have enjoyed watching the “difficult boy who was also the outcast” grow up and study to be a pediatrician.  I love to see the “struggling musician” go into the Marine Corps.  I am amazed to see the “loving girl” as she becomes a Nurse.  These kids are spreading their wings and their horizons as some of them have even ventured out into other parts of the world!

I love them all, but I have to admit . . . I made a huge mistake!  I worked with the program 2 separate times, once for about 6 years, and the other for about 7 years.  The first time I worked with the program, I was under another person who was in charge of things.  They did a fantastic job of “saving memories.”  They took pictures and wrote letters and generally made sure that the things we did were documented.  They made sure the pictures were posted to a website (this was at a time before social media!) and even produced a newsletter that was mailed to all the kids.  This took up a lot of his time, but he believed it was important for these things to be captured.

Save Your Memorable Photos

The second time I worked with the program was when I made my major mistake!  You see, I was in charge of the program during this 6 year period, and I “forgot” to document the memories.  I didn’t take the pictures.  I didn’t make a newsletter.  Yes, I had a facebook group for these kids, and most of them are still on it.  Yes, there are some photos on the page for us to look back on and enjoy, but I should have pushed this issue more!  There are a few photos of the games we played.  There are a few videos of us sledding in the winter.  There are a few pictures of our Swing Dancing and even some of the kids at a wedding we had for two of our adult leaders.  There are also a few pictures of us swimming in the pool.  But there were so many more things that we did that were not documented!

Where are the pictures of the 3 groups we took to Henryville, Indiana to clean up from the tornado that ripped through the area in 2012?  Where are the photos of these amazing young men and women serving lunch at the homeless shelter in Indianapolis?  Where are the pictures of these kids hanging out by the camp fires?  Where are the videos of us playing Capture the Flag, Sardines, and Amoeba?  What happened to the pictures of them hugging each other and playing pool, and ping pong?  What about the photos of them praying together or studying their Bibles together?  The answer is rather disturbing and sad . . . they are nowhere . . . because I didn’t take them!

Document, Document, Document

I didn’t document those moments.  I didn’t capture them on film or on camera.  I didn’t pull out my phone and snap the shot.  Now, I can make all kids of excuses as to why I didn’t do it!  I could say that I was too busy or didn’t have time.  I could say I had other things to do or I didn’t think it was important at the time.  I could even blame the fact that my phone does not take great pictures or that I thought the kids would do it themselves.  (Especially since most of them are doing this anyway!)  But the reality of it all is that I didn’t do it because I didn’t think about it at the time.

This was my mistake!  It is a huge one!  Don’t get so caught up in the moment of fun that you forget to make memories and take photos to treasure forever. Save your youth group photos in a Church Time Capsule using the “Any Occasion” DIY Time Capsule here. Wouldn’t it be cool to put a large photo on the outside of a tin, then have each student fill out “Message to the Future” letters about where they see themselves in 10, 20, or 30 years. Also include in the Church or Youth Group time capsule souvenirs from your trips to amusement parks, concerts, etc. Save your photos and videos of the youth group in the time capsule too. Then in the future, have a big party and open the Church or Youth Group Time Capsule again and reminisce about what life was like when you all were teenagers. What a priceless moment that will be full of fun, laughter, and tears.

Now, I have years of memories in my mind with no photos to go with them.  Yes, I have my memories in my mind, but it would be nice to watch the video of what actually happened too.  It would be nice to have a place to store those photos and videos so they didn’t get ruined.  It would be nice if I hadn’t dropped the ball and not taken the photos.

Don’t let my mistake be yours!  Don’t let your kids grow up and not have photos of the important memories you have.  Don’t let dust and sun and time destroy those photos and videos once you have them.  Be sure to store them someplace that will protect them.

What do you remember the most from your church or youth group growing up? Comment below.

Making Milestone Moments Count,

– Mark