A vital resource for all youth workers. 40 talks written by an experienced youth leader that will not only help with what to say but also how to say it! Every talk has an easy to follow structure that is designed to get your groups’ attention and keep it. Covering relevant issues for young people today from love, conflict and peer pressure to God’s fairness, listening to God and our expectations of God. Start a conversation that will challenge all who listen by reaching those with no faith and teaching those who have faith.

To look at the most common and recognisable symbols in the world and what they mean to us. Do we recognize the significance of the cross? You may wish to start with a selection of company logos on PowerPoint and get the group to guess the company. A survey was carried out a few years ago that looked at the most recognised company logos in the world. Can you guess what the most widely recognised symbol was? Nike, BP, Ford….. No. Its McDonalds, the golden M is the symbol most people recognise and correctly associate with McDonalds. They have created a huge brand. What is a brand? We are bombarded everyday with advertising on TV, radio, papers, magazines and billboards, all trying to get us to associate a name with a product and an image. For example, if we played word association with Nike, what would you say? Swoosh, Tiger Woods, Just do it, football strips, cool. Nike have spent a fortune building the brand with adverts showing top sports stars wearing their clothing and using Nike equipment. The message they portray is that Nike is associated with success and the top sporting stars and if you buy Nike you will look and play like them. (If only!) What about McDonalds? (See how many items on the menu they can name) It is the biggest fast food brand in the world. The Happy Meal, Big Mac and McFlurry are all household names. What about the cross? What do we associate with the cross? For some it may be a piece of jewellery, a symbol of Christianity or something that is seen on church buildings. If Nike tells us of sporting success and McDonalds‘ golden arches tell us of the world‘s most popular fast food, what does the cross tell us about Christianity?

Darren Trainer is married with three children and has been speaking to youth groups in schools and churches for nearly twenty years. During this time he has been involved in leading youth work at Woodhill Evangelical Church, Glasgow, where he is a member.