Some of the major pitfalls of planning effective Sabbath school events can be avoided with a little planning. Here are some simple ideas that can be expanded with a little thought:  
 
1. Bible - Have kids bring in the oldest Bible they can find. Invite some adults in your church to bring their treasured Bibles and share why they are special. Use this as a spring board to talk about the importance of Bible study. 
 
2. Careers - Have your group name all of the careers they can find listed in Scripture. Invite a career counselor to come in and talk about choosing a life profession. 
 
3. Doubts/skepticism - Find a list of true, but far-out facts, and challenge your group's ability to believe the almost "unbelievable." Guinness Book of World Records is a good source.  
 
4. Family relationships - Find some interesting notes about family life from different cultures. Search the Internet to get started. Use this to open your discussion about family relationships. 
 
5. Fear - Show a video of someone doing something that involves high risks. Use this as a opener to talk about personal fears. 
 
6. Friends - Play the song Friends by Michael W. Smith and share the story from Scripture about David and Jonathan. 
 
7. Guilt/forgiveness - Show some video news clips about recent crimes that have been committed. Talk about the negative and positive roles that guilt can play in the healing process.  
 
8. Homosexuality - Ask your group why they think God began life with Adam and Eve instead of Adam and Abe. Go to God's Love—Our Witness to learn what some Adventists are doing to reach the gay and lesbian community.

9. How to study the Bible - Use Mark Finley's book, Studying Together as a text. Talk about the difference between studying Scripture for information and a relationship. 
 
10. Jesus and Me - Invite your group to make a list of 10 things they think Jesus would like about themselves and their present youth group. How did Jesus relate to individuals? 
 
11. Knowing God's will - Ask your group to share their stories about what they remember about being a little kid. As they look back on their lives now, ask them if it would have been better to have known what they know now, when they were little. What is the hardest part about not knowing the future? Read Proverbs 3:5,6. 
 
12. Love - Play several songs (CD format) that sing about love. As they listen, ask your youth to describe the kind of love being sung about (whether its puppy love, sentimental, illicit, selfish, mature, etc). 
 
13. Loneliness - Have your group make a list of people mentioned in Scripture who they perceive as lonely. What's the difference between being lonely and being bored? 
 
14. Media (music, video, TV, and faith) - Demonstrate how technology has advanced in the area of media. Ask older members to bring an old radio, TV, 8-track tape player, vinyl records. Have an old timer talk about the changes he/she has seen in their lifetime. Ask your group to pick the media that has the most potential for evil and good. 
 
15. Missions - Read Webster's definition for the word mission and ask your group to identify a potential faith "mission" they can engage in. 
 
16. Musical presentations - Invite a group or several musicians to share their faith in song. 
 
17. Other religions - Do a comparative faith survey to stimulate spiritual growth and understanding. 
 
18. Parents - Schedule a day with parents when their youth can be a "parent for a day." Develop some activities for them to participate in that inform them of the responsibilities and joys of parenting. 
 
19. Physical abuse - Find some information on the Internet and invite a doctor or counselor to talk about various forms of abuse. 
 
20. Physical fitness - Use the story about Samson to talk about physical fitness and strength. End by talking about spiritual fitness.  
 
21. Prayer - Ask your group to collectively write the kind of prayer they think God wants to hear. 
 
22. Reality of God - Challenge your group to present the most compelling argument they can find to validate God's existence. 
 
23. Relationships - Have your group shut their eyes and not make sound for 3 minutes. Ask them to share the longest time they have ever gone without talking, or seeing another human being. 
 
24. Salvation/conversion - Invite several older members to share their story of how they found Christ (personal conversion). 
 
25. Science and scripture - Contact GeoScience at Loma Linda University and ask them to provide a tough scientific argument that flies in the face of Scripture. Ask your youth how they feel about this. Show how Christian scientists have reconciled these arguments. 
 
26. Self-esteem/self-worth - Ask your group to recall when they can remember feeling the best and worst about themselves. Invite a Christian counselor to share how to handle feelings. 
 
27. Sex/dating - Have your group describe the perfect date. Invite them to compile a list of positive activities that are ok for dating Christians to engage in. Ask them to use a concordance (computer software preferred) to find what Scripture says about sex, dating, and love. 
 
28. Stress - Administer a stress test that is quick and easy (check with a doctor or health educator to recommend one). Ask your group to rate the things that are most stressful for them. Do it on a white board. 
 
29. Teachings of Jesus - Go to the Small Group section in the PlusLine IdeaBank and click onto Scripture Voyages. Use these discussion starters to stimulate dialogue. 
 
30. Temptation - Share excerpts from C.S. Lewis' Screwtape Letters. Talk about temptations that plague today's teens and discuss what makes them so tempting. 
 
31. The church - Ask your youth to write out their perceptions of the Church (in 50 words or less). Without putting their names on the sheets, invite them to turn them in to be randomly read. After their feedback is shared, invite members to seal each one in a separate envelope to be delivered to the adult Sabbath school (don't tell them you're going to do this when you start). Ask the adults to anonymously write out their responses to the youth's perceptions. Bring these back in a week or so to be read by the youth. 
 
32. The Holy Spirit - Use a Bible concordance (software preferred) to discover what Scripture says about the Holy Spirit. 
 
33. Witnessing - You'll find ideas for witnessing by clicking here or here. 
 
34. World concerns (social issues) - Collect a number of Time and Newsweek magazines to share with participants. Use them to talk about how current news topics may relate to Scripture.