Emmaus Christian Church
Team Building Adventure
Indianapolis, IN
SCROLL DOWN TO START YOUR ADVENTURE
Here Are The Rules
Complete as many challenges as you can within the given time frame. Challenges can be completed in any order.
Team members need to stay together throughout the adventure, however, if you are all at the same location and searching for something you can spread out until it is found.
Some challenges may require a few basic supplies to complete them. Figuring out how to obtain these supplies somewhere in the area is part of the experience.
After completing each challenge click the “Connection Question”. Have at least one team member answer the question while you’re at the challenge location, or as you travel together to your next location. These answers don’t need to be submitted, they are simply meant to spark meaningful conversations within your own team. The more team members that talk about their answer, the more connected you’ll become. If you choose to just have one person answer per question create a rotation of who answers next so that everyone is sharing equally.
CHALLENGES
#1: Today is National I Love You Day (it’s true, look it up). In order to Live Faith you need to not only Love God, but of course Love People. For this challenge you’ll show some love to people here in the city that could really use it. Anywhere along the way gather or purchase items from the list seen HERE (any quantity helps). Then get to the Wheeler Mission Shelter For Men located at 520 East Market Street. Once there find the large “LOVE” sign language mural and take a team picture in front of it holding the items you are donating. Items can then be donated at Door#4 but call 317-687-6795 when you arrive to coordinate the drop-off.
Connection Question For Challenge #1
#2: Tomorrow is Senior Saints Sunday at Emmaus! To get ready for this special gathering, anywhere around the area find a stranger who is 80 years old or older. Take some time to chat with them, listen to a story they may have about the local area, or just ask them about their life. Then at some point take a video asking them to give your group some advice about “the meaning of life”.
Connection Question For Challenge #2
#3: As we approach the end of the calendar year it’s important to remember to work together as a group, persevere through challenges, and finish strong. That same mindset will help you successfully complete this challenge. Have someone take a video of your team as everyone is standing shoulder to shoulder in a tight clump/circle with your backs all facing in and your arms interlocked. Slowly lower the entire interlocked group to the ground until you are in a seated position with your butts on the ground, and then slowly stand all the way back up while remaining interlocked the entire time. This challenge can be completed anywhere, but for an extra point begin the challenge when a traffic light turns green in the background and successfully finish the challenge (by getting everyone back upright) before it changes to red. To watch a video of a group successfully completing this challenge click HERE.
Connection Question For Challenge #3
#4: Get your team to the oldest shoe store in America, which is located here downtown. Once inside, find their employee named Ripley and take a fun team picture with him to celebrate his years of loyalty to the store. If you take a video of Ripley saying some sort of powerful message such as “Jesus Saves” or “Hallelujah” your team will get an extra point, because we’re told Ripley says what he wants, when he wants. So good luck.
Connection Question For Challenge #4
#5: For over a century, Indianapolis has been known as Circle City, a name derived from the Monument Circle in downtown Indy. This circular street is home to the Soldiers and Sailors Monument, once the second tallest monument in the country, and a proud symbol of the city center. Get your team to this area and find any of the bears that are featured in the design. Then take a fun team picture with everyone posing like the bears.
Connection Question For Challenge #5
#6: In order to finish this year strong you will need to remain focused, even though you may be surrounded by distractions. Click HERE to get to the brain puzzles and then select “Memory”. Then, anywhere along the way have at least two team members achieve a score of 50 or more points. Once you have your two super focused teammates, take a celebratory picture of them while they’re displaying their phone screens and the point totals are clearly visible. If needed, you can take an additional close-up picture of the two devices to clearly show the point totals (for bragging purposes of course).
Connection Question For Challenge #6
#7: The Indianapolis Moon Tree spent time on the moon as a seed, taken up by Apollo 14 astronauts. It was then returned to Earth, planted here in the downtown area and has since grown into a large sycamore. This is one of 50 moon trees around the country. Get your team to this extraterrestrial tree and take a picture of your team members all completing any variation of the "Tree Pose" while the tree is visible in the background. To prove you found the correct tree, you can also take a picture of your team with the plaque. To view a picture of someone properly performing a variation of the Tree Pose click HERE.
Connection Question For Challenge #7
#8: Get your team to Dave’s Hot Chicken. Once there get an order of their “Reaper” flavor chicken tender. Then take a video of your team members, at the same time, all consuming a separate bite-sized piece of this extremely spicy food. Just before your bite try to show that it's actually Reaper flavor on the packaging or receipt and then film for at least 30 seconds after the bite to document your reactions. Disclaimer, this will likely not be pleasant, which is exactly the point. Because a team that suffers together, grows together.
Connection Question For Challenge #8
#9: Bringing people together to Love God regardless of their political backgrounds is an important part of growing a diverse faith community. Anywhere around the city take a team picture at any intersection where the two street names are states that had opposite political outcomes in the 2020 presidential election. For example, if there were a Florida Avenue and a California Street then that would be acceptable because Florida was a red state and California was a blue state. Make sure both street signs are visible and legible in the background of your picture or take separate pictures with each sign, as long as they are located at the same intersection.
Connection Question For Challenge #9
#10: Take a video of any two team members both successfully completing the “Bottle Flip Challenge” at exactly the same time. Basically, take a video of both members each flipping their own standard (16 ounces or so) bottle of water onto a hard surface, and getting it to successfully remain standing upright once it lands. The bottle can be filled with as much water as needed to improve your chances of completing the challenge successfully. What will make this challenge difficult is getting two people to make a successful flip on the same attempt. Your entire team can all be attempting the challenge together, as long as any two team members land the flip on the same attempt. To watch a video of two people successfully completing this challenge together click HERE.
Connection Question For Challenge #10
#11: During the American Civil War, local Indianapolis doctors aided the sick, some area women provided nursing care, and Indianapolis City Hospital tended to wounded soldiers. To honor their efforts on the battlefield, find any Red Cross emblem around the area. Once you’ve found one, designate one of your teammates as an “injured soldier”. Then take a picture demonstrating the “correct way to carry an injured soldier”, as referenced in the picture found HERE by soldiers from the 1800’s. If you have a lot of people on your team you can divide up and carry multiple “victims” if you want. Or if you have a small team you can recruit strangers to help out if needed. Make sure the Red Cross emblem is visible somewhere in your picture and then gently lower your victim back down after you’re finished.
Connection Question For Challenge #11
#12: Working hard to connect others with God and with one another you have likely used Scotch Tape for just about everything. Well, except this. To honor this incredibly versatile American-made product take a fun team picture after everyone uses Scotch tape to dramatically stretch and distort their faces. To create the proper distortion you’ll need at least 5 pieces of tape per face, although the more the better! For some inspiration click HERE.
Connection Question For Challenge #12
#13: This week marked the premiere of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour hitting movie theaters here in Indianapolis! To get Ready For It, find any parked vehicle that has a license plate which contains numerical digits that add up to Taylor’s lucky number, no more, no less. So if Taylor’s lucky number were 18 (it’s not) and the plate were "CF7H 5K6" it would be acceptable because those numbers add up to 18 and there aren't any additional numbers. Once you’ve found one, take a fun team picture with it while you all strike your best T-Swift pose.
Connection Question For Challenge #13
#14: Get your team to any hardware store around the area. Once there, grab a measuring tape and start measuring employees and shoppers heights (after asking their permission of course) until you find someone that is between 5’4” and 5’8” tall. Then take a fun team picture with your perfectly sized friend and the measuring tape stretched vertically next to them so their height can be verified.
Connection Question For Challenge #14
#15: Getting your body moving while worshipping certainly helps everyone around you feel the Spirit. There is a woman here in the city named Ann who dances 24 hours a day and the locals seem to love it. In fact, when she stopped dancing they raised over $260k to make sure she started again. Find Ann and take a fun video with everyone on your team dancing alongside her, imitating her moves as best as possible.