THE ART OF THE
HOLY BACKRUB

Friends of the Groom Theater
Resource Center

 
 

For printable copy of THE ART OF THE HOLY BACKRUB instructions, click on the word: INSTRUCTIONS
To see a video of THE ART OF THE HOLY BACKRUB being taught, click on the word: VIDEO

This is a fun activity that works well as a group building mixer.

  • Depending on the size of your group, arrange participants in a circle or in single file lines where each person can easily reach the back of the person in front of them.

    Tip: If your group members are standing in a circle, ask them to take small steps toward the center till they reach the appropriate spacing. If the members are in rows, ask everyone to turn and face the right side wall. Then direct the person closest to the wall to hold their position as everyone else takes small steps forward till they form single file lines with the appropriate spacing.  

  • The leader then tells a story from scripture, demonstrating various back rubbing strokes to accompany each part of the story. It’s best if the leader has the script memorized and predetermines which strokes to use. A collection of three scripted back rub stories are available here: INSERT LINK TO RESOURCE PAGE, but you can obviously use your imagination and create your own. 

  • After telling the story once, ask everyone to reverse direction and tell it again. This is especially important if your group is arranged in lines. Otherwise, the people on the end of the lines will only get half the experience.  

Note: This activity is suitable for youth, adults, or intergenerational groups, but is not advised for groups of children under the age of 13, where the “poke factor” can undermine the purpose of the exercise


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Activities and techniques in the Friends of the Groom Theater Company Resource Center are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.
The Resource Center is designed to assist churches, organizations, and individuals
with creative worship and Christian Education.
It is available to the general public for free under the terms of the Creative Commons License above.