SABBATH FUN
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Nature- Enjoying God’s Creation
(Genesis 2:1-3; Exodus 20:8-11; Revelation 14:6,7; Psalm 19; etc.)
- Take a walk through a park or along a river or lake
- don't forget to dip your feet in the water!
- Take your lunch and go to a park
- bring along a table cloth that reminds you of a Bible story!
- Feed the ducks in a park
- give each duck that comes to eat a name!
- Collect leaves, flowers, or rocks
- glue them onto a frame and put your family photo in it!
- Take pictures of flowers, trees, birds, or animals
- use those photos as backgrounds for bible verse social media posts!
- Pick some wildflowers and press them
- press them into a notebook you plan to use as a family sabbath journal!
- Hike up a mountain with friends
- Sing a song of praise to God as loud as you can when you get to the top!
- Take a walk in the rain
- for each puddle jump, think of a burden you'd like to give to God and give it to Him, then SPLASH!
- Make Bible Character Snowmen
- Divide the group into two teams and have each team guess what the others made.
- Learn about how plants grow and try growing a few
- Share with each other ways how God has grown you and thank Him for it!
- Measure one square foot of ground in nature and list everything you find in the square
- Talk about all the small ways God has blessed you that go unnoticed!
- Do some bird watching
- Talk together about what it will be like to meet the Lord in the air at His second coming.
- While hiking in nature each person collects 5 nature objects that will give clues to their hiking buddies about a Bible story
- Take turns guessing the story!
- Walk down a country road and identify 25 nature objects God created
- Share a story in your life that an item might reminds you of.
- Do a puzzle of a nature scene with your family
- try not to stay up too late!
- Find some seriously awesome puzzles here for all levels.
- Draw some animal pictures or nature scenes
- try drawing these pictures in the dirt or sand, or carve it into a piece of wood!
- Describe your favorite sunset
- where were you? how old were you? who were you with?
- Look out the window and describe what you see
- Maybe this is during a drive home. Wave to people passing by!
- Find a beautiful landscape to paint or draw, regardless of your art ability
- Try drawing this scene on one canvas surface together!
- Work on a Pathfinder (youth group) nature honor/award
- Find pathfinder honors here!
- Hike or Bike along a trail with others
- throw up a peace sign to people passing by!
- Offer to pray with people on the trail!
- Go for a run/jog and spend the time praying for friends
- run and breathe to the cadence of your favorite praise song to keep a steady pace!
- Go to the mountains and breathe some fresh air
- Everyone takes a big inhale, see who can keep exhaling the longest!
- Walk along a deserted stretch of beach and talk to God
- Build Solomon’s temple in the sand or with nature objects
- Go mushroom hunting (but don’t eat them unless you know what is edible!)
- You can also just take pictures of them!
- Study a parable of Jesus in a place similar to where He told it
- Act out the scene and make a video short to post on social media!
- Go somewhere in nature alone for one hour.
- Jot down what you see and hear. Share your observations with a friend.
- Visit a county, state or national park you haven’t been to.
- Don't forget to get your National Park passport book stamp!
- Hike a new trail that you’ve never tried
- Start a trail review blog that includes scriptural references and ideas for spending time with God on this hike.
Fellowship with God’s People
- Attend a Sabbath morning Bible study group
- Make a point to ask three questions and make three comments!
- Study a chapter in the Bible with friends
- Use AI to take notes on the discussion and share them with everyone after the study.
- Record a Bible reel with a group of friends
- Ask God to put five friends in your mind who would benefit from the reel's message and share it with them.
- Get a group together to act out a Bible story
- Find things around the house to make costumes!
- Bring someone to a Bible Study group and worship gathering who can’t drive
- Open the door for them and help them get in and out of the car!
- Play worship music with friends (bring instruments if you know how to play)
- Be prepared with instruments that take less skill: maracas, sticks, jingle bells
- Try putting together a whistle (with your mouth) jam session of your favorite hymns!
- Worship God with the church at the worship gathering
- Decide that you are present to worship God and not to be entertained.
- Attend an after-church afternoon meeting
- Or plan to start one if there isn't one available!
- Join a church praise team, or start one
- Ask your worship leader or pastor how to get involved!
- Celebrate the Sabbath with someone who is keeping it for the first time
- Think of ways to make it extra special (see all the suggestions above and below)!
- Sit in a different part of the church worship venue auditorium and greet someone new
- Give them your biggest smile!
- End the Sabbath in nature singing a favorite song about worshiping God
- If possible, watch the sunset during this time!
- Spend some time really communicating with your spouse, parents, or children
- start out by each writing out one serious question and one silly question to ask, then go for it!
- everyone write a question and put it in a jar - and then have each person pick a question to answer randomly
- Have your family or friends share around the circle things that they appreciate about each other
- For every thing shared, place a bean or marble in a large jar to make a tangible example of how much you appreciate one another.
- Make friends with a church member you don’t know well
- Start with the "FORT" conversation: F -Where are you from? O - What is your occupation? R - What do you do for recreation? T - Tell me your testimony about how God has been present in your life!
- Invite someone to pray with you
- It doesn't have to be long!
- Make a point to memorize everyone’s name in the church and call them by their names
- Ask the greeting committee to do a name tag day or make a practice to give out name tags to everyone at church every sabbath.
- Have a Bible times picnic, using Middle Eastern food
- Bring pillows to lounge on like they did while eating during Bible times!
- Invite guests home for lunch and getting acquainted
- Ask about food sensitivities/allergies or likes/dislikes ahead of time!
- Invite over several families for a potluck at your home
- Have your kids make napkin origami for each place sitting!
- Stay for fellowship lunch after the worship gathering if the church has one and meet someone you don’t know
- Start with the "FORT" conversation: F -Where are you from? O - What is your occupation? R - What do you do for recreation? T - Tell me your testimony about how God has been present in your life!
- Take flowers to a friend
- make a homemade card to go along with it!
- Write someone thanking them for their contribution to your spiritual growth
- Use snail mail, a hand written note can make things very special!
- Plan 3 ways you want to bless people in the next week
- Schedule when you're going to do them to keep you motivated!
- Visit a new member of your church and give them something that has helped you grow spiritually
- Put it in a gift bag with a note of why it has been a blessing to you!
- Bless someone by doing a random act of kindness
- Think of a few as a family and wait to report how things went at the start of Sabbath on Friday evening!
Outreach, Service & Evangelism
(Acts 18:4; Matthew 12:12; Mark 3:1-6; etc.)
- Take baked goodies to your neighbors
- Make them into angel shaped cookies!
- Take a plant to a sick person
- Add instructions on how to care for the plant!
- Collect food and clothing to distribute
- Make a flyer for around the neighborhood with a pick up date on a certain day!
- Distribute food and clothing in a low-income neighborhood
- Put a GLOW tract in the pockets of all the clothes!
- Help with a free health clinic
- You don't have to be a medical professional to volunteer! Check with the clinic manager for where you can help!
- Cheer up a patient at the hospital
- Learn a few songs on a ukulele to accompany your singing. That instrument always sound cheerful!
- Visit a nursing home, ask the nurses who doesn’t have many visitors, then visit that person
- Ask if you can go "carol" to the rooms of the patients who cannot leave their rooms very easily!
- Get involved with prison ministries
- There are a lot of details involved with prison ministry - contact your local conference to get more information!
- Visit someone who has been isolated for awhile
- Start off slow - sometimes a short visit at the door is the most beneficial, so dress for the outdoor weather!
- Meet the people in your neighborhood and give them Bible literature or invite them to a small group
- Start with an invitation to your home for a meal!
- Tell a Bible story to children in your neighborhood
- Gather them on your front lawn with snacks!
- Work with some kids to make a Bible scene/story with toys
- You could play bible charades this way - instead of acting, setting up a scene for guessing.
- Visit a friend and invite him/her to worship next Sabbath
- Be bold! Be brave! You can do it! God will help you!
- Encourage someone who is discouraged
- Be a listener, point them to Jesus. Share a Bible promise that relates to the situation!
- Have a puppet show for children using homemade Bible people
- Have each kid make a puppet or two - with paper bags, socks, etc.!
- Pray for someone you don’t really like
- Ask God to put love in your heart for them. Realize that Jesus died for them too!
- Go door to door asking if you can pray for people’s specific prayer requests
- You will be SO blessed! Excited for you already!!
- Phone a friend you haven’t talked to in a long time and tell him/her something new you have learned about God in the Bible
- Look through your Social Media friends list or even just your phone address book.
- Take a walk in your neighborhood and pray for each house
- Notice clues at the front of their house. ex: If there are kids toys present: pray for the parents marriage.
- Invite the neighborhood kids over to listen to Discovery Mountain and color.
- Provide sidewalk chalk for just such an occasion!
- Invite friends over to watch “Tell the World” and talk afterward about what inspired you.
- Find the movie here.
- Take a map and pray for people to accept Jesus in various countries
- Look up what is happening in that part of the world. What are the challenges being faced there for them to hear the gospel?
- Ask God to give you love for the lost
- Then act on that love as God directs!
- Prepare for a Bible study and pray God will lead you to someone to study with
- Get ready! It will happen sooner than you think!
- Plan out how you would relevantly explain “why doesn’t God end suffering” to a friend
- Ask the Holy Spirit to lead your study.
- Email everyone in your address book with a Bible verse and a message to encourage them
- Be intentional and add personal touches to keep the content from being tuned out.
- Share a testimony or Bible verse on Social Media
- Connect with your conference Media Department for tips!
- Write a letter to a friend, telling him/her three things you are thankful for
- Decorate the borders of the letter with stickers or ink stamps!
- Send a note of encouragement to someone younger than you
- Add an origami animal to the letter to make it special!
- Add an origami animal to the letter to make it special!
- Write to someone asking for forgiveness
- Be aware they may not extend forgiveness right away.
- Phone a friend and tell them what God is doing in your life
- or FaceTime!
- Write out a testimony of what God has done and is doing in your life
- submit it to your church or conference newsletter to share!
- Go through the church directory and contact people you haven’t seen at the worship gathering in awhile
- Tell me you miss them and that they are needed as part of the body of Christ!
- Invite them to worship online with your congregation if they can't leave their homes and show them how to do it.
- Talk to a group about how you can share Jesus at your work or school
- Meet afterschool to strategize and plan execution. Start with a prayer meeting together!
- Ask a church leader how you can get more involved in sharing Jesus to others
- Go with them on their visits and Bible studies.
- Talk to a group about a passion you have that you want to use to share Jesus with others
- Talk with the ministry leader than your passion falls under. Ex: children's ministry - talk with the children's ministries coordinator at your church or conference.
- Talk with family or friends about your dream mission trip and how it could become a reality
- Go ye, therefore!
- Find information on mission trips here.
- Imagine yourself sent as a missionary to a remote tribe to be the first one to tell them about Jesus.
- Role play this with your kids! Practice what you would say and do
- Ask a church leader for someone’s name and address who would like Bible studies, then go visit them with some Bible study guides.
- Bring a prayer partner with you and go together - you lead, they pray!
- Try singing and street preaching with a group of friends
- Scope out the best location! Pray for the bravery of Jesus!
Study and Worship
(Luke 4:16-27; 13:10; Acts 13:14-44; 16:13)
- Read a biography on the life of a great Christian
- note principals that you could apply to your own life!
- Read a spiritual magazine (Guide, Insight, Adventist Review, Signs of the Times, etc.)
- Think of someone you could share that material with.
- Read a mission story and find the mission field on a map
- Pray for that area of the world and for the gospel to go forward there.
- If the Lord says go there, go there!
- Read a book in the Bible that you haven’t read in awhile
- Note things in the story you hadn't noticed before.
- Read a story from the Book of John, close your eyes and meditate on it for fifteen minutes, imagining you were there
- Think about the sensory details: What sounds to you hear? What smells do you smell? What tastes would you be tasting? How does the weather feel on your skin?
- Read the story of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15. Picture the scenes in your mind
- Allow the truth of this story to sink into your heart - that God wants you to come back to Him always, no matter what, and purpose in your heart to believe this truth.
- Read a book of the Bible in one sitting
- Pick a book, any book! They're all rich!
- Read a spiritual book and tell someone about it
- Think of three reasons that you could share about why this book is so awesome!
- Go to a park and read a book that will positively impact your relationship with God or others
- Imagine God is right there next to you - because He is!
- Play a Bible game
- Our favorite is Bible Telestrations - google it, it's basically the game Telestrations but you come up with Bible stories to draw!
- Make up a Bible acrostic or word puzzle to share with kids or friends
- There are apps for that!
- Make a Bible game
- Don't forget to share your ideas with us!
- Draw a picture of what you think your home in heaven might look like
- Put your pictures together like a neighborhood and pray that God would guide each person along their journey in life so that we are all there as neighbors in heaven.
- Play Bible charades, acting out Bible stories for others to guess
- Using make shifts props and costumes from whatever is around the house makes things fun!
- Memorize a text or short chapter in the Bible
- Try memorizing the text with only the first letter of each word to guide you. Ex: John 3:16 - F G S L T W T H G H O B S, T W B I H S N P B H E L
- Calculate how soon you could memorize your favorite book in the Bible by taking one text a day
- Start now!
- Memorize seven Bible verses
- Try to pick ones from both the old and new testament that speak to the same topic so that you're ready to share about it when asked. (Ex: texts that talk about "What happens when you die?" or "If God is real, why is there such human suffering?"
- Write a letter to God
- When you're done, read it as a prayer to Him
- Write a booklet on the love of Jesus and illustrate
- If you are not an artist, collaborate with someone who is are share in the blessings!
- Write out a parable (a story with a spiritual or moral significance)
- Share it for children's story one Sabbath
- Write a poem with a Bible theme
- Read it out loud for the Sabbath service or prepare it as a bulletin insert
- Rewrite a Bible text in your own words
- In a group, do this separately and they come together to compare and discuss - this can include people of all ages.
- Write an article entitled “How I became a Christian”
- Ask God to give you a Divine Appointment where you can share this with someone.
- Write a modern version of the Prodigal Son story, using names and places familiar to you
- This may take several Sabbaths to complete!
- Write out your own thoughts on how to be saved
- Reference each thought with a Bible verse or better yet, do a topical study on salvation and then compile your thoughts!
- Write a psalm or study one of David’s
- Try to deduce what was happening in David's life at the time he wrote this psalm. What are you going through while you write your personal psalm?
- Write an uplifting poem or song
- Teach your song or poem to someone.
- Attend a Bible study small group
- Start one if there isn't one available - plan for it to be time limited (ex: 6-8 weeks), invite a mix of people who have been studying the Bible for a long time and someone who doesn't know anything about the Bible but wants to!
- Get a group together to study a difficult bible verse to understand
- Sharpen each other! Here's a great book to help with difficult passages: Answers to Difficult Bible Texts by Joe Crews
- Pick a topic and, using a concordance, see what the Bible says about it
- Use the Blue Letter Bible online to help!
- Plan a family worship for your family
- This is a great idea for the kids in your home to do - have them work together!
- Plan your Sabbath activities for the next five Sabbaths
- Each family member pick a Sabbath or two!
- Take the APEST test to learn about your spiritual gifts here
- Make a plan of action to put your spiritual gifts and talents into practice during the coming month
- Using a good set of bible study guides, chain reference your Bible. List the topic and first text in the back of your Bible, then list the following reference in the margin beside the verse that comes before it
Find a great Bible marking program here.
- Sign up for a Bible correspondence course. Find some great ones here.
- Study a parable of Jesus in a place similar to where He told it
- Imagine what it would have been like to be in the crowd listening to Jesus teaching.
- Study next week’s Sabbath School Bible study lesson.
- Listen to a spiritually uplifting sermon
- So many to choose from on audioverse.
- Prepare a devotional talk or sermon
- Think of those who would be listening. Ask God to give you a relevant message.
- Listen to Christian music.
- Make up a tune for a Bible text
- This is a great scripture memorization tool!
- Record a Bible story with a group of friends
- Think about doing a dramatized reading and edit it with sound effects!
- Listen to a spiritually uplifting podcast.
- Here are some awesome and spiritually uplifting podcasts for kids, adults, and families.
- Make a list of specific prayer requests
- Talk to Jesus about each one, ask Him how to pray for each situation.
- You can share a prayer request with your conference prayer ministries here.
- Make a list of “Thank You’s” to Jesus
- Keep them on a note on your phone. When you're feeling lovely, read through them.
- Make a “Top Ten” list of things God has done for you during the past week
- Keep a running list on your phone and read this and add something to it when you feel discouraged.
- Make a list of some of the best Sabbaths you have ever experienced
- Reminisce with family about them.
- Surrender your past, present, and future to God
- Every day. Every moment.