Going Bananas

Ask each person to bring one ingredient to make a gigantic banana split. Kids can bring ice cream flavors, bananas, cherries, nuts, syrup and other toppings.

Make the banana split in a 12-foot trough. To make a trough, buy split PVC pipe at a hardware store and cover the pipe ends with aluminum foil. Talk about each person's unique gifts and contributions to the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12).

You can also use the food trough in a variety of other ways:

• Fill the trough with salted popcorn, and talk about how each person is the salt of the Earth (Matthew 5:13).
• Fill it with nacho chips. As you cover the chips with melted cheese, talk about how God's warm love covers each of us (Malachi 4:2).
• Fill it with juice. Give everyone a straw and see how fast group members can drink the juice. Talk about how earthly pleasures are temporary, but God's love is forever (Matthew 6:19-21). Or talk about our thirst for God's Word (1 Peter 2:2-3).