Do you have some new folks who have joined your congregation recently?  How well have you tried to get to know them?  Do you talk about the weather when you see them?  Do you know what their interests are?  Do you know anything about them that is similar to something in your own life or history? 

Sometimes it is very difficult to build a conversation with someone who is new.  Many new folks are a bit shy or reserved and are not willing to share much beyond yes or no answers.  It is a good idea to include some mixer type games into some of the activities that people are participating in.  If you intentionally try to discover some new information about everyone in the room, you are helping the new person get to know the rest of the people in the room and you are learning about the new person.  You will be able to start a next conversation with the new person by bringing up one of the things that you learned about him or her from the mixer game.  You are beginning to have common experiences with the person.  Common experience makes it possible for relationships to be developed at a deeper level. 

Look for ways to build common experiences with new people who are coming to your church.  It is very difficult to join into a group when you don't know what you have in common with anyone else in the room.   

Attached you will find an easy to use Human Bingo game which is a good game which can help everyone share a bit about their background.  The game is also designed to cause people to learn what things they may have in common with others in the room.  If you have people who have joined your church anytime in the last year, consider using a mixer game for a few minutes before you get into the business of the next meeting you are at.  It doesn't have to take long, but it can do a world of good in helping people get ready for sharing at a deeper level and for developing relationships. 

The sheet is ready to download and use!  You play the game like Bingo.....you try to get 5 answers in a row or a diagonal.  You simply allot a short period of time and give each person a Human Bingo card and ask them to try to get the names of the people that fit the description in the box.  The first one to get 5 answers filled in a row is the winner. 

Anther great relationship builder is to go around the room and ask each person to write down 2 lies about themselves and one truthful sentence.  Let each person take a turn and simply read the 3 statements that they have written about themselves and allow the rest of the group to decide which sentence is the true sentence.  This leads to some great fellowship and you will be able to learn things about people that you have known for years. 

Human Bingo - A great game to begin building relationships