Trust or Betrayal

Materials

• Labeling of the base stations (e.g., numbers 1–10 for 10 groups)
• Stickers
• Pens
• Letters
• Sheet for sticking on the letters
• Translation key (see appendix)
• Complete message for the game leader
• 1 large map of the playing field for explanation (see Appendix)
• Costumes for the Roman soldiers
• 1 whistle to signal the start and end of the game
• First-aid kit

Preparation

• Make a copy of the message in Greek for each group and cut out the individual letters
• Write the group number on the back of each letter card
• Write small numbers on the front of these cards to determine their order 
• Setting Up the Playing Field
• Briefing the participants on the game

Possible Introduction to the Play

• A Christian rushes onto the stage, excited: “A message for us Christians has arrived! But it’s too dangerous to bring the whole message to our meeting place, because Roman soldiers are lurking everywhere like spies, trying to take this precious message from us. That’s why it’s been cut up into individual letters, which we have to put together in the right order.”

• One possible message could be:

  To the Christians in Rome. Do not be afraid of the evil soldiers. Stay united and trust in Jesus, our Lord. Hand in hand with Jesus.

• Task for participants: Transport the letters and decipher the Greek text at the base station.

Procedure

Note: TThe following instructions are based on playing with 10 groups! However, the game can also be played with fewer groups. The base/distribution stations and the number of Roman soldiers must be adjusted accordingly.

• 10 base stations: Participants play in 10 groups that are as close to equal in size as possible. Each group has a base station (marked with its number) to which they bring their letters. As soon as the first letters arrive, any group members can start working on the puzzle. They must organize themselves and decide who will stick the letters, who will solve the puzzle, and who will run.

• Message: The letters are marked on the back with the group number. On the front is a smaller number indicating the order of the letter in the message. These are Greek letters, i.e., in the language of the New Testament at that time. Each group receives a translation key to translate the letters into German. They also receive a sheet on which they can stick the Greek letters in the correct order and write the German letters below them.

• 4 distribution stations: Each distribution station has the same number of letters from each group. This ensures that every distribution station must be visited; no group has an advantage or disadvantage based on walking distance. The lower-numbered letter sequences are deliberately mixed and distributed among the distribution stations so that it is not clear which number can be obtained where. There is an invisible safety radius of 1 meter around each distribution station, within which the soldiers are not allowed to catch the participants.

• Password: Now, if everyone (including the Roman soldiers) were to receive a letter at the distribution stations, the Christians would be betrayed. That is why there is a password that participants use to identify themselves as initiated Christians. The password is: ICHTYS (= fish, or Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior), just as it was for the Christians of that time. Players receive a letter only after saying the password and their group number. They may carry only one letter at a time, which they must then bring to the base station. Running from one distribution station to another is therefore prohibited.

• 4 Roman Soldiers (Capturers and Spies): The staff members in costume try to intercept the players on their way between the distribution stations and the base stations. Players are “caught” by being tagged, just like in a game of tag. The players must then hand over their letter. (Internal rule—not disclosed to participants: To give them a chance to complete the message, the soldiers return the letters to a distribution station once they’ve collected a few. It doesn’t matter which distribution station.) If a player is caught, they may immediately return to a distribution station to pick up a new letter. They do not have to return to the base station first. In addition, the soldiers try to coax the password out of the players (e.g., by flattering them, making promises, etc.), which the players hopefully won’t reveal!

• Exception to the capture rule (can also be omitted): Players who are walking hand-in-hand in pairs cannot be captured by the soldiers. Only the participants who are trying to go it alone.

• The group that is the first to decode the message without any errors and submit it to the game leaderswins . The children may guess missing letters, even if there’s a risk that their guess might be wrong.

List of Sources

• Cover image: Clip art courtesy of the publisher buch+musik ejw-service gmbh, Stuttgart - www.ejw-buch.de from: Jungscharleiter Grafik-CD plus; Second revised edition 2002 © buch+musik ejw-service gmbh, Stuttgart
• Images/files listed: Theresa Kluding