Sabbath Ideas: Large Group

Set a World Record

Think of an achievement you can do to set a world record (even if it’s only a world record in your own opinion). Make the world’s biggest offering bag, play the most verses of a hymn without stopping, letterbox the most houses in an afternoon for a church program, recite the books of the bible the fastest (forwards or backwards), find the most different animals inside an hour, or think of you own idea. It could be done on your own but even better to include many people, or as a fund raiser for a church project.

Create a Bottle Band

Fill up bottles carefully with various levels water so they make tuned notes when blown across the top. Then yourself, or even better, with a group, play some songs. If you have may people, one per note even, you should be able to play a song quite smoothly. You can even play sustained chords for expert music reader and have larger deeper bottles for bass notes. If you have a large group in a circle, and a lot of bottles, each person could play just one note in the song as the conductor points around the circle when to play.

Sing a Round

Sing, and/or play on instruments, some songs that can be performed as a round. Some songs can have more than two parts even! The bigger the group taking part the better. One question remains however - how do you stop!

Document Our Amazing Body

Create a list of every functional task the human body can do. (eg. the eye can blink, tear, adjust for different light intensity, focus, move, capture light and communicate it to the brain for processing, provide 3D views...)

Include internal and external functions and discover how many working tasks our well designed bodies actually do.

Have a Testimony Sharing Session

Within your family, or extending to you church's members, plan to have a session of sharing each person's testimony with the group. It could be a conversion story, a look at one's walk over their lifetime, or simply events and feelings during the week just past. Give some warning so those less comfortable with speaking in a group can gather their thoughts and perhaps write down their story to present.

Take Part in a Last Supper

Jesus washed his disciples feet in an act of humility, handed out 'bread and wine' as an act of remembrance and sung a hymn. Organise a lovely Communion service with these elements and end with a time of prayer together.

View an IMAX Documentary

IMAX cinemas, the theatres with massive screens, often show nature documentaries. This is an awe inspiring way to experience God's creation you might not usually come so close to.

Watch an online Documentary

This idea will never get exhausted. There are many full length documentaries to be found online, (eg on YouTube). Search for a documentary on an specific animal, plant, habitat, space or the human body and marvel an what an amazingly complex creation this world is.

Clean Up Litter

Find a beautiful place in nature, like a park, river, waterfall or beach, which has litter / trash / rubbish lying around and collect it to throw it away, or recycle, and in doing so re-beautify God's nature to bring glory to Him.

Go to a Museum

Visit a museum which has a large nature section - but be ready for many millions of years declared in the information signs. There will also probably be an admission fee, and the general atmosphere may not be what makes Sabbath special - so this idea may or may not work for some!
If you do go, you could make up a nature treasure hunt (if you have kids) to take a picture of things like: the smallest reptile, the longest reptile, something prickly, something pretty, something scary, something delicate, something poisonous, something fluffy, something tiny etc

Walk/ride/canoe Around a Lake

Find a lake nearby which you can walk around, ride around on a bike, or canoe around. Keep your eyes opened for the unique plant, animal and bird life which lives over, on or under the water.

Take a Treasure Hunt Walk

Make up a treasure hunt list of items to find while on an afternoon walk or hike. You could make up the list while driving to the starting point of the walk.
Items should be related to nature, God or Biblical themes. Perhaps one list for the whole group, making it a team effort, not competitive.
Some ideas for your list include: A heart shaped rock, a stick in the shape of a cross, 5 feathers, 5 different bird specie sightings, 5 different flowers, a long leaf, a reptile sighting, 3 different ant specie sightings, a reflection of a tree, Something of each color of the rainbow, Something close to perfectly round, moss, a drip of water, a butterfly, a snail shell, a nut/seed, something that relates to [insert a Bible story].

Go to the Snow

If you're able to, take some kids to the snow for a play - especially if they have NEVER been to the snow before. Look up some Bible texts about snow on the way there.

Go on a Photography Treasure Hunt

Make a list of things Jesus created that need to be photographed, perhaps giving a different point value for each item photographed.
Have fun coming up with the list to start with, then go on a walk or drive and see if you can get a certain number of points.
An example of things to photograph could include concepts like these:
A person with a picture of a flower on their top, two ducks together, a cloud that looks like an animal, a white feather, a cross, a musical instrument, a heart shape, animals starting with each vowel, falling water, three or more fruits together, a picture of Jesus, a Bible (or the word), a purple flower, wind (or its effects), etc

Create Sand Sculptures

Create an elaborate sand sculpture at the beach based on a Bible story or of an animal. Be as detailed as you can. Try to make a title using a Bible text.

Climb a Mountain

Is there a mountain or large hill that you can go and climb? Climb it alone (tell someone where you're going) or with a partner or group of friends. If you can time it to arrive at the summit at sunrise or sunset, all the better - just take a light and other safety gear with you!
You could pretend you are Moses going up to meet God.

Go for a Nature Walk / Hike / Trek

A Sabbath walk, short or long distance, can be most uplifting when you find a location of particular beauty. But don't just walk - observe and admire the surrounds! Notice the scenery in the distance, the ground around where you walk. Notice the animals and plant life - big and small. Notice the land formations. Use all your senses to admire the temperatures, the textures, the smells, the sounds, the shades and combinations of colors and patterns.
Enjoy the journey, not just the destination. Walk it alone (but tell someone where you're going) or take family and friends. Take a camera with you, or a notebook to write some notes, or do some sketches of what you see.

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