Four weeks from today, I’ll be saying goodbye to my second group of awesome 8th grade students. That day will be the last time we meet before we cut them loose to high school ministry and the amazing leaders they’ll have through their high school careers. Before we do that, we want 
to make sure to end things on a REALLY high note.
This Friday, my co-leader and I are taking the guys on a camping trip. It won’t be anything too fancy, but it will be some awesome time to solidify the bonds they’ve formed with each other over the past 2 years. We’re doing a quick, 24-hour trip to a local park that seems far away, but only takes about 20 minutes to get to from our church. It will be an awesome last event of the summer.
After the camping trip, we’ll meet with the guys 3 more times in a small group setting. I really want to make the most of these times together, but I also don’t want to do anything too heavy. Just enough stuff to keep them learning, but not too much as to overwhelm them during summer.
Question: What do you do to end your time with a youth group with a bang?
[...] Yesterday Steven wrote about ending his 8th grade small group with a bang. They have a great overnight outing planned and still have about a month left with his group before they move on to high school. It made me think that I want to begin my new 9th grade small group with a bang. By that I mean I want to go out of my way to make my new group feel comfortable and safe and that the lessons and life examples taught to them by Steven and his co-leader Kyle will continue on. [...]